A Physician’s Experience to Social Media Marketing in Medical Writing
Posted by: Gigi Johns / Category: Scientific/Medical Writing-
Richard C. Senelick MD shares his experience of the importance of social media, such as blogging, twitter, facebook, and websites, in an alternative career as a medical writer:
A physician’s life often seems to be programmed. We move from college to school of medicine to internship to residency to fellowship to practice in a very seamless path. Twelve to 15 years pass by without lots of questions for we have been consumed with the educational process and the brass ring by the end on this marathon event. Another straight line seems to be in front of us as we pursue our career.
But, are our lives as physician’s really such a straight line or are they influenced by minor events which happen to have major influences upon the paths we travel? I feel that life is more sort of a novel, where minor or serendipitous events take us in a very different direction until another such event pushes us down another path. Most of the major decisions in our lives may be created with inadequate information- the choice to marry someone, turn into a physician, and choose a specialty. Who really knows what marriage or maybe a particular career will likely be like?
A Serendipitous Meeting
I had been working for 35 years, written eight books and produced multiple DVDs. (http://www.richardsenelick.com/books-dvds) I enjoyed lecturing and writing, but again felt that itch to use that little fork in the road that might open new doors and acquire the creative juices flowing again. I am a strong believer in reinventing oneself every 5-10 years. I received an e-mail flyer for Dr. Julie Silver’s course at Harvard on “Publishing Books, Memoirs and other Creative Nonfiction”. I can’t tell you the reason why I registered, nevertheless it seemed like the good diversion out of my usual meetings on Stroke, Brain Injury, and Rehabilitation. I already possessed a distribution system for my books so I wasn’t on the lookout for a dealer. However, I kept feeling this nagging resonated with this “fork around the road” section of my brain. It was March 2010 and winter had descended on Boston, with winds blowing the snow horizontally. It was perfect weather to be in a meeting and helped me steer clear of the temptation simply to walk along Newbury Street and spend time at a cafe with my new iPad. As many would say, I’m famous because I can not sit longer than 2-3 hours at a conference. So, I took my usual spot on the last row, convenient with the quick escape. What followed were 2 days that became one of those critical forks in the road to me.
Social What?
I was having a wonderful time learning a myriad of good information on writing, publishing, and meeting people, but nothing appeared to be happening that would make a major difference with my career. My curiosity was piqued by the talk on Social Media Marketing by Rusty Shelton of Shelton Interactive. I had a “facebook” account I never employed, but I didn’t have any experience with creating a website, how to “tweet”, or commenting/creating blogs.
I am your typical cynical neurologist, so I sat at the back of the room with my arms folded as Rusty Shelton started his pitch for the new order of social networking and publishing. It is not necessarily an understatement to suggest it was subsequently an absolute epiphany and resonated throughout my body. I instantly “got” social websites and saw that door that only needed to be opened. My experience had shown that it usually required one year to write a manuscript that would only be seen by a limited number of individuals. In addition, making it worse, that book could possibly be expired in half a year. It became clear. My books were intended to educate healthcare professionals, people who have disabilities, and their loved ones. Having a website together with a blog would allow me to instantly disseminate information, continue to keep it up to date, get in touch with colleagues and people in need of assistance, and allow me to have instant gratification. Furthermore , I noticed that my magazines and newspapers were getting thinner and that I seemed to be getting 90% of my information from the internet. I realized that if I wanted to reach the mainstream of society and contribute at an international level, I better get on board the social websites train or perhaps I would be left in the station.
With less than a year since I took Julie Silver’s course, Rusty Shelton has helped me develop a website with books, articles, and an active blog at www.richardsenelick.com. We also have created a professional “facebook” page and I am even starting to use Twitter. Being connected socially in these ways led me to interviews and other writing opportunities. It wasn’t much later when I received an opportunity to blog for the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-c-senelick-md), which I accepted and have enjoyed very much. Additionally, I have been asked to guest blog on other people’s websites and am getting fully incorporated into social networking. Besides being invigorating, it has allowed me the opportunity to have a job around the national dialogue designed to ultimately impact providers, patients, and their own families.
Regardless of what you are considering writing, social networking should really be an essential portion of your plan as it will provide opportunities . On account of Dr. Silver’s course, now it is an essential section of mine.
About: Richard C. Senelick MD works as a neurologist who serves as the Medical Director of RIOSA, The Rehabilitation Institute of San Antonio, and Editor in Chief of HealthSouth Press, the publishing arm of one of a nation’s largest hospital systems. He works as a frequent lecturer on both a national and international level. Dr. Senelick writes an everyday Blog for the Huffington Post. Amongst his many books and publications, he has authored Living with Stroke: A Guide for Families, Living with Brain Injury: A Guide for Families, The Spinal Cord Injury Handbook, and Beyond Please and Thank You: The Disability Awareness Handbook.
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