Best Schools for Medical Examiners

A medical examiner, also known as a coroner, is a qualified forensic pathologist who uses the principles of pathology and medicine to investigate cases where people died violently, suddenly or in any other suspicious circumstances. By doing autopsies and using other investigative methods, a medical examiner tries to find out how the victim died. Read on to learn what qualifications you need to become a medical examiner.

What Qualifications Do I Need to Become a Medical Examiner?

The academic route to becoming a forensic pathologist, which will qualify you to become a medical examiner, has three postsecondary academic tiers. First, you have to get a bachelor's degree, preferably with coursework in subjects such as chemistry, biology, math, physics and English. This will enable you to apply for admission to medical school, which requires another four years of study.

After medical school, the third step is to complete a residency program in pathology, followed by a subspecialty fellowship in forensic pathology. According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the residency program must be at least four years and the forensic pathology fellowship must last at least 12 months.

What Will I Learn During My Fellowship in Forensic Pathology?

Most of your 12-month fellowship will be spent working on real-life cases at a medical examiner's office that is connected with the medical school that hosts the pathology residency program. While you perform autopsies under supervision, you will learn about medicolegal death investigation, crime scene documentation and photography, toxicology, drug analysis, postmortem imaging, DNA and serology, as well as firearms. Other topics include forensic anthropology and odontology, how to use a crime laboratory and how to communicate with role players such as attorneys, police, other health professionals and families.

Which Schools Offer the Forensic Pathology Fellowship for Medical Examiners?

The forensic pathology subspecialties of the pathology programs offered at these schools are all accredited by the ACGME and work in conjunction with state or county medical examiners' offices.

• The School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham offers a pathobiology and molecular medicine graduate program in conjunction with the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner Office.
• The Anschutz Medical Campus at the University of Colorado Denver has a forensic pathology fellowship as part of its pathology program.
• The Boston University School of Medicine, in Massachusetts, offers residency training in pathology and laboratory medicine. The department performs about 70 autopsies per year as part of its forensic pathology training.
• The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, in New Orleans, has a pathology residency training program, with the forensic subspecialty being done in conjunction with the Parish of Orleans Coroner's Office.
• The University of Texas Medical Branch, in Galveston, offers a forensic pathology fellowship as part of its pathology residency program. Students are involved in investigating deaths in Travis County and in other cases that are referred from over 40 other counties in Texas.

What Certifications and Memberships Are Available to Medical Examiners?

All physicians and surgeons must be licensed at the state level. The requirements vary from state to state. Physicians must also pass a national exam called the United States Medical Licensing Examination.

Pathologists can become certified by the American Board of Pathology. Medical examiners and medical students working towards becoming one can become members of the National Association of Medical Examiners.