How a hairdresser ended up a medical editor

From career change to specialist niche – and what new editors can learn from it

When people hear that I’m a medical editor, they often assume I’ve followed a conventional academic or publishing route. The reality is rather different. My career began in a hair salon.

I trained as a hairdresser straight after leaving school. It was the path I had chosen, and for a time it suited me. But circumstances changed, and I needed a new direction. Admin roles introduced me to word processing and layout software. In 1997, I secured a job as a layout artist, where I was trained in proofreading – and discovered work I genuinely enjoyed.

From there, I moved into in-house proofreading and copyediting across technology, human rights and marketing sectors. After redundancy, I set up a freelance editing business, completed industry-recognised editorial training and worked with book publishers on projects spanning education, history, art and religion, later project-managing full book productions.

At the same time, I was studying human biology with the Open University. Initially, this was a personal goal rather than a career plan. But in 2009, I accepted a role in medical education, editing and writing about anatomy, disease and healthcare. That combination of editorial experience and scientific study turned out to be the missing piece.

Why specialising matters

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that generalist editing and specialist editing are very different propositions.

Clients working in technical or medical fields look for editors who understand their subject matter. Familiarity with terminology, document conventions and audience expectations builds confidence and trust. It also allows you to spot ambiguity or inconsistency that a generalist editor might miss.

Specialising also clarifies your marketing. When you know exactly who your clients are, your messaging becomes sharper, your services easier to explain and your reputation easier to build.

What a medical editor does

The terms copyeditor and proofreader are often used interchangeably, but they describe different stages of editing. In practice, many clients – particularly in medical and medico-legal fields – need a blend of both. A document described as a 'proofread' may still require structural or clarity-focused editing.

For that reason, I describe my role simply as medical editor: someone who refines medical documents to improve clarity, consistency and presentation, while preserving the author’s intended meaning and ensuring suitability for the target audience.

That work may involve medico-legal reports, medical communications, public-health materials, news articles or educational content.

Building a right foundation

A background in life sciences or healthcare is helpful in medical editing, as it allows you to understand the subject matter and speak your clients’ language. Editorial qualifications are equally important, as they demonstrate mastery of editing techniques and standards.

Over time, however, experience becomes the strongest credential. For many clients, the fact that I have worked on thousands of medico-legal reports carries more weight than any individual qualification.

Developing practical skills

Successful medical editing requires:

• a strong eye for detail

• confidence with medical terminology

• proficiency with editing tools

• familiarity with relevant style guides (for example, AMA or publisher-specific guides)

These skills develop through training and repeated exposure to real-world documents.

Building a portfolio

Confidentiality often prevents medical editors from sharing samples of client work. Testimonials, client feedback and descriptions of project experience therefore become particularly valuable in demonstrating capability and reliability.

Networking and visibility

Like any freelance profession, medical editing relies on relationships. Connecting with healthcare professionals, medical communicators and other editors helps generate referrals and repeat work. Consistent online visibility – through a professional website and useful content – reinforces credibility.

Staying current

Medical knowledge evolves. So do editorial standards and tools. Reading medical journals, following healthcare news and maintaining editorial training ensures your skills remain relevant and your service dependable.

Managing the business side

Freelancing involves more than editing. Administration, marketing, scheduling and finance all require attention. Clear routines and realistic boundaries are essential to keeping the business sustainable.

One of the advantages, of course, is flexibility. Freelancing allows you to structure your working day in a way that suits your life – something I value greatly.

Final thoughts

Freelance medical editing is a rewarding career, but it sits at the intersection of subject knowledge, editorial skill and professional reliability. It is not simply about correcting text. It is about helping complex information reach its audience clearly and without misinterpretation.

And sometimes, that path begins in a hair salon.

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A note on terminology: The terms medical copyeditor, medical proofreader and medical editor are often confused and used interchangeably. To add to the confusion, there are yet other terms used for different niches such as plain-English editor, medico-legal copyeditor and editorial assistant (the latter is commonly used in medical communications). I personally use medical editor to describe my role, and medical editing to describe both medical copyediting and medical proofreading, as this suggests a hybrid approach as per my own clients' preferences ... plus, it's simpler! See here for more detail on the traditional differences between proofreading and copyediting.