Licensing requirements beyond this exam can vary between states, so those pursuing a medical career should be sure to consider where they plan to live and work before becoming licensed. After graduation, students begin a full-time residency to start to practice more and more independently as physicians. Instead, applicants should look for residencies that include autopsy and forensic pathology training as part of the program.
To specialize in the medical examiner career, most doctors choose to do a fellowship. A fellowship is specialty training after a residency. These fellowships mainly take place at government-run medical examiner offices and will give doctors the chance to focus on the specific aspects of the career.
During every step towards this career, aspiring medical examiners should be building a professional network. This is particularly important in this specialty because many medical examiners must be appointed to office, which is quite different from the hiring process in most other medical specialties.
A medical examiner fellowship will be helpful, but it can also be beneficial to attend conferences and other networking events to get in front of those who may be integral to future professional success. Becoming a medical examiner requires a highly dedicated individual.
A high school graduate can expect to spend at least an additional 12 years pursuing education and training in the fields of pathology and forensics to prepare for this career. Because the position is often appointed, there may also be an extended period where a trained medical examiner cannot find employment in the area of their choosing.
Medical examiners must be medical doctors with specific training in conducting death investigations. However, some jobs are available for those who are not interested in pursuing an entire course of medical study. Further, in many jurisdictions, coroners do not need specific medical training. These professionals work alongside medical examiners and pathologists to determine why someone may have died and are responsible for tasks such as completing death certificates.
Depending on local or city regulations, coroners may be elected or appointed government officials. Should someone in that position decide to take the next step towards becoming a medical examiner, that type of experience could be very valuable. This certificate is designed for students pursuing careers in crime laboratories or preparing to apply for medical school to become medical examiners.
The certificate requires 19 credit hours of forensic science course work which follows the recommendations of the National Institute of Justice. Courses include criminalistics, forensic microscopy, and instrumental analysis and are taught by nationally certified faculty members who have extensive experience in the field.
Upon completing this certificate program, graduates can take the American Board of Criminalistics certification test to prove their knowledge and skills. This certificate can prepare students for medical school admissions or entry-level careers in arson investigation, ballistics or firearm analysis, DNA analysis, and drug and trace analysis. To be considered for admission, applicants must be licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in California by the fellowship start date, be a US citizen or permanent resident who has filed an intent to become a citizen, have completed an ACGME-accredited residency in anatomic pathology or anatomy and clinical pathology or equivalent pathways, and pass a background check as well as submit to fingerprinting and pre-employment psychological and physical examinations.
LA County sees a massive annual case volume of approximately 20, deaths each year, offering students a well-rounded experience with various dissection techniques to solve complex homicide cases. Those accepted to the program earn a competitive salary and health, dental disability, life insurance, a retirement savings plan, and vacation, sick, and holiday leave time.
Those who meet the application criteria must apply with a letter of inquiry, a curriculum vitae, and a standardized fellowship application from the College of American Pathologists. Louis offers medical residencies in pathology with a forensic pathology fellowship for medical license holders seeking experience.
Residencies require four years of study and experience, and the forensic pathology option requires one year to complete. The American Board of Pathology certifies the forensic pathology subspecialty.
Applications are accepted 18 months before the desired start date. Department of Education recognizes as the accrediting agency for medical education programs. Medical examiners are nearly always crouched over a body on television dramas, pointing out wounds and evidence to interested detectives and solving mysteries. The work of a medical examiner can be pretty gruesome and at times isolating since medical examiner offices typically do not have very many employees.
Medical examiners must be comfortable dissecting bodies, removing organs, and dealing with families who experienced a very traumatic and violent death. Other examples include situations in which many dozens of community and family members have appeared at the office expecting to participate in the ceremonial washing of the deceased. Although we have allowed this ceremony, the large number of people and the washing procedure itself disrupted our routine operations.
The presence of so many family and community members, along with the emotional grieving, risked there being some misunderstanding regarding the business and authority of the Medical Examiner.
In a similar way, when there is community or family opposition to autopsy a legal prerogative of the Medical Examiner and many people are present, conflicts may arise that compromise the duty of the Medical Examiner. Unfortunately we have no room in our facility to comfortably accommodate these ceremonial practices.
Furthermore, the Medical Examiner, as a government body, needs to be mindful of the potential conflicts arising from supporting religious practices in a government facility. We have achieved positive solutions to some of these cultural conflicts, such as the example of allowing religious, ceremonial washing of bodies in our office.
We have done this by initiating meetings with community members to discuss means for recognizing potential conflicts and avoiding them before they occur. Specifically, with respect to the issue of ceremonial body washing, we now facilitate their being performed at another location. It is necessary to dispel two common misperceptions: first, that the Medical Examiner performs autopsies for medical reasons like education and research, the same as the hospital autopsies; and, second, that the Medical Examiner disfigures or mutilates the body.
The truth is that Medical Examiner autopsies are actually done for legal reasons, rather than medical reasons. Also, the Medical Examiners are not only highly professional and respectful, but also very skillful in preserving the appearance of the body. Ordinarily all organs are returned to the body for burial.
Mostly, knowledge about the Medical Examiner policies and procedures is specialized and the general public is not expected to know about them. The Medical Examiner considers it important to share information with community leaders and to establish a network of community leaders who can work with the Medical Examiner to avoid conflicts and establish policies that work for the community and allow the Medical Examiner to do their work. For community leaders, it is important to know that death investigation is a legitimate governmental responsibility, conducted by procedures that are different from place to place.
Communities should know that the Medical Examiner performs a service for the family by explaining the death of a loved one. It is important to distinguish the Medical Examiner role as separate from the Police. Community leaders should understand that the Medical Examiner cooperates with the Police, but does not answer to them.
In deaths having criminal implications, the Medical Examiner has a responsibility to the larger community. But, when a death is not a criminal matter, but a civil matter, the Medical Examiner serves the family by providing instrumental information for insurance claims and estate settlements, and also by providing information about why and how a loved one died.
The Medical Examiner avoids phone notification of death, when at all possible. It is helpful to have community- specific contacts to facilitate this news delivery and grief support process.
The exception to delivery of news in person occurs at times when the media may get to the family or next of kin before the Medical Examiner can. Those who work in medical roles within the NHS are accustomed to having different roles and different lines of accountability and to making this work, and it is expected that employing organisations will respect this distinction. Appraisal and revalidation processes will support independence.
Engagement with senior coroners is encouraged at the outset and specifically to support appointment committees.
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