What I learned from writing about specialties I never practiced?

December 1984 marks the pivotal moment in my life, the year I stepped into an unfamiliar world that would reshape my professional future. Dentistry was an alien territory, yet I found myself walking through the corridors of the Prosthetic Lab and navigating the imposing five-story dental building that stretched right across the road, housing dental departments.

Through countless decisions and transformations that began as tentative steps into the alien world over the decades, I pivoted into another field still alien to me, medical writing.

I found myself explaining everything from the eyes and ears to the heart, nutrition, lungs, and mental health, and much more, but not dentistry.

The challenges were real

Rarely had I stepped out of my comfort zone till now, but now everything was in flux. The work landscape was transforming from manual to digital and from on-site to remote; above all, adaptability became essential rather than optional.

I risked oversimplifying or misinterpreting science.

Navigating unfamiliar jargon.

Striving to earn the trust of medical professionals, colleagues, and lay readers.

Degrees weren’t the only currency; discipline and process were also what mattered.

What helped me survive

Rigorous research
Curiosity
Consistency
Reading and being informed

Writing outside my practiced speciality has

Helped me expand adaptability across medical domains
Increased my ability to translate complex language into simple and understandable language
Building a diverse portfolio to prove my versatility
Empathy for patients trying to understand their diagnosis

Health care is vast. The more we explore, the more powerful its impact is, as our words make a world of difference in the lives of many not known to us.

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