Why CME Medical Writing is a Viable Career - and Why You Should Consider It
Your next career path could be right in front of you.
You don’t need to know your exact destination to take that smart first step of your journey. But it does help to know which paths are worth walking down.
If you’re curious about writing in the health or science space, or if you are thinking about your next professional chapter, it’s worth taking a closer look at CME writing. CME stands for Continuing Medical Education, and it’s a specialized area that is focused on providing evidence-based learning for clinicians.
A CME writing career is a steady, rewarding way to combine a love for lifelong learning with real-world impact and a strong income potential. And the best part is that you don’t need to have it all figured out. In fact, you don’t need to have anything figured out. What you do need is a place to start.
Let’s chat about what CME actually is, how it can make a difference, and why it’s one of the most solid medical writing niches to build your career around.
What CME Writing Is (and Isn’t)
As a CME writer, you’ll create educational content that helps healthcare professionals stay on top of the latest research, meet licensing requirements, and provide better care to their patients.
CME writing also involves providing other types of deliverables that help the educational content get funded or provide key stakeholders with insights about why education was or wasn’t impactful and what which learning gaps remain.
To get specific, CME is for physicians, while CE is for all health professionals – and that’s just in the United States! CME lingo can change depending on where you are in the world. For now, “CME” in this article refers to the entire sphere of continuing education for health professionals.
CME is not promotional work. If you’ve seen any kind of sponsored content or sales copy in other healthcare settings, that’s not what this is. Accredited CME must be unbiased, balanced, and free of any type of commercial influence. It’s built on standards and compliance regulations and is designed with strict rules to protect both learners and their patients.
That’s why a CME writing career combines a few some very important skills. You’ll use clear writing, strong research habits, and an understanding of how adults learn best. You’ll also work with instructional designers, editors, and reviewers to create programs that are applicable helpful, accurate, and engaging for different types of health care practitioners.
Among the many medical writing niches, CME is one of the few that allows you to write meaningful, clinically relevant content while also being able to contribute to better healthcare outcomes.
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Why CME Is a Viable Long-Term Career
Healthcare is constantly changing, and clinicians need trusted education in order to stay current. In 2025, research literally moves too fast for any healthcare professional to stay up to date. That’s where accredited continuing education comes in. The demand is steady because CME is tied to licensure, board certification, and ongoing clinical practice. CME activities are not “nice to haves” - they’re a professional requirement for clinicians, which makes a CME writing career both stable and meaningful.
CME projects vary a lot more than you might expect. You might write a needs assessment that helps shape an educational program, a script for a panel discussion for a conference, or an outcomes report that shows whether a specific program achieved its learning objectives. This variety keeps the work fresh and exciting while also giving you space to continue building a deeper expertise.
Now, more than ever, CME asks writers to go beyond summarizing information for learners. It asks writers to consider ways to engage learners, go beyond surface-level data to gain a deeper understanding of why or why not an educational program was effective, and to work in new formats like podcasts and video to meet learners where they are.
While this can be daunting, it’s also an exciting time to be entering the CME field. The types of work in demand are more diverse than a decade ago. Plus, and your the chance to position yourself as a strategic partner navigating the changing needs of learners is more present now than in the past, at a time when the CME ecosystem itself continues to evolve.
That being said, it should come as no surprise that CME writing is high-value work. The demand for writers who truly understand how CME works and how adult learning principles should be applied is projected to continue alongside the overall growth of the medical writing market. Many writers build strong CME freelance businesses (it’s a very freelance-friendly field) or secure staff roles in this space.
What You’re Worried About Can Be Your Strengths
If you’ve ever hesitated about pursuing a CME writing career, you’re not alone. There are a few common concerns that often give people pause, but these worries might actually be signs that you’re on the right track.
“The compliance side feels overwhelming.”
Yes, CME writing follows specific rules. But those rules exist to keep education high quality and free from bias. Once you understand the structure, it becomes a clear roadmap – not a roadblock. And knowing how to write within these standards makes your work extremely valuable. Best of all, you aren’t alone in navigating a new set of compliance requirements. You have a community of CME writers and, ideally, collaborative clients who are open to questions.
“There’s a lot to learn.”
It’s true. There’s a learning curve. But that also means there’s room to grow. Many writers build long-term careers because they became the go-to person for a specific type of CME writing.
“It seems too niche.”
Niches aren’t limitations. They’re launchpads. When you focus on a specialty, you are going to build trust a whole lot faster and become easier for your clients to refer. That’s good for business and even better for your long-term confidence.
“I don’t have the right [experience/portfolio/skillset/degree].”
If every CME writer started with a Ph.D., a filled out portfolio, had familiarity with CME, and experience to boot, well, they wouldn’t be starting, would they?
We all start somewhere! My favorite thing about CME is that while the learning curve may be steep at first, there’s almost limitless room to grow – and most people aren’t going to ask for your credentials, especially if you’re a freelancer.
They’re going to want to have a conversation with you, see a work sample, or just hear that you’re confident in your ability to navigate a deliverable. Your job is to put yourself out there and keep learning as you go.
Alex’s Tip: It’s not just about what you don’t have; it’s about the skills you’re already bringing to the table. When was the last time you took stock of those? Because I bet you’re more ready readier for a career in CME than you think.
How to Build the Career You Want in CME
One of the most encouraging parts about building up your CME writing career is that there’s no one “right” way to grow. Whether you prefer flexibility or stability, there’s a path that can work for you.
Freelance CME opportunities give you freedom over your time, your project load, and your income. Many freelancers work with multiple agencies and education providers, which means a steady variety of topics and formats. It’s also where higher earning potential often comes into play, especially once you’ve built relationships and perfected your workflow.
Recently I discussed earnings with Gertrude Nonterah on the Bold PhD podcast.
Staff roles (whether full-time or part-time) are another great option for writers that can bring consistency, mentorship, and a regular paycheck. You might work within an education company, academic institution, or a healthcare organization. These roles can be a really great fit if you’re newer to the field or if you want long-term structure and stability.
Hybrid paths are also common. Some writers move between freelance and staff roles over time, or combine both.
If you’re starting out in other medical writing niches, it’s completely possible to grow into this space. Many writers begin as generalists and then build toward CME as their specialty.
The good news is that CME freelance opportunities continue to grow, and you can choose the model that fits your life and goals the best.
Why CME Writing Is a Smart Long-Term Move
Choosing a CME writing career is about so much more than simply picking a niche. It’s deciding to build something steady, rewarding, and highly purposeful. You’re not just writing content: you’re supporting healthcare professionals and helping improve patient care and outcomes, and that kind of impact is making a difference.
If you’re ready to:
Create a portfolio piece – or two – in eight weeks
Have all the knowledge you need to navigate the CME landscape
Gain a year of access to a supportive community that will help you make invaluable connections and learn with confidence
Get 1:1 mentorship support as you embark on your new path
Receive weekly coaching around marketing, business building, pricing, negotiation, and more
WriteCME Accelerator is the place for you. Get the guidance, tools, and support to build a business that’s structured, sustainable, and truly yours. Join the September WriteCME Accelerator cohort before the doors close.
