To become a medical examiner assistant, you’ll need to complete a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field.
You’ll have to take courses in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and forensics.
After you’ve received your bachelor’s degree, you can go on to earn your master’s degree. This will give you more experience working with the human body and help prepare you for the duties of a medical examiner assistant.
Most states require that you pass a certification exam before becoming eligible for employment as a medical examiner assistant.
How To Become Medical Examiner Assistant
Medical examiners are responsible for assisting the chief medical examiner with analysing crime scenes and identifying people’s causes of death, usually by performing autopsies. This profession generally requires extensive medical knowledge and formal education. Learning about the necessary skills and qualifications can help you fulfil the requirements to work in this field. In this article, we explain how to become a medical examiner assistant, discuss what they do, list common skills they possess and outline their work environment.
What Does a Medical Examiner Assistant Do?
As a medical examiner assistant, you assist with forensic examinations to help determine the cause of death. You assist with evidence and sample collection, prepare bodies for autopsy, and perform tasks like weighing organs and preparing for toxicology tests. Additionally, you have administrative duties like labeling samples, updating records, protecting the chain of custody, and even dealing with budgets and supply inventory. You also write reports and organize research for use by law enforcement and the courts and assist with identification of subjects using scars, tattoos, and other markings. Ultimately, your responsibilities revolve around helping the medical examiner remain focused, effective, and efficient.
A medical examiner assistant helps with forensic examinations to determine what caused someone’s death. They assist with gathering evidence and samples, performing autopsies and other procedures, weighing organs, preparing toxicological tests and identifying subjects by their scars, tattoos or other markings.
They may also perform administrative duties, such as labelling samples, updating records, maintaining the chain of custody, managing budgets and inventory, writing reports and organising research for law enforcement personnel. Ultimately, their job is to assist the primary medical examiner in remaining focused, effective and efficient.
How to Become a Medical Examiner Assistant
Different states and jurisdictions have different requirements for this role, but in general, becoming a medical examiner assistant requires advanced qualifications. A bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, or a related field, a master’s degree from a pathologist assistant program, and certification by the American Society for Clinical Pathology offer a solid foundation, but in some areas, you can begin working in the medical examiner’s office with only a high school diploma. To succeed as a medical examiner’s assistant, you should be detail-oriented, with good critical thinking and communication skills and the ability to stay calm in challenging situations.
Learning how to become a medical examiner assistant requires careful consideration of the necessary qualifications and licences. To learn how to pursue this career, review the following nine steps:
1. Learn about the career
Medical examiners have a lot of responsibility. Before committing to the profession, it’s beneficial to familiarise yourself with the common duties and obligations of the role. Learning about the required skills can help you decide whether this is the right job for you. Consider speaking with an experienced medical examiner and asking questions about how they deal with the emotional aspects of the profession. If you’re still in high school, you can take science subjects to prepare you for your undergraduate degree.
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2. Pursue an undergraduate degree
A medical examiner assistant requires a medical degree. To earn this, first, take an undergraduate pre-medical course. Find and enrol in a reputable pre-medical school with a well-rounded programme. This can help you earn acceptance into an excellent medical school. You can look at the rankings of various degree programmes on the Internet or ask a career counsellor for advice.
Molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology and microbiology are common pre-medical subjects. Look for internships and volunteer opportunities in hospitals or medical facilities to develop your skills in these areas. Working part-time as an emergency medical technician and obtaining a certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation can also be beneficial.
Related: Guide: requirements for medical school (plus skills)
3. Take the BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
The BMAT is a necessary part of your application to a medical school. It’s a standardised test that medical school applicants take to earn acceptance. To prepare for the test, you can take part in a preparation programme or study books and other medical resources. The BMAT tests you in four subject areas:
- biological systems’ chemical and physical basis
- skills in critical thinking and reasoning
- behaviour’s psychological, social and biological basis
- living systems’ biological and biochemical foundations
4. Complete medical school
After completing your pre-medical programme, enrol in a medical degree. Medical degrees take four years to complete and provide an in-depth understanding of fundamental medical science, diagnosis and medication. The first two years of your degree may consist of coursework. You’re likely to learn about basic science and the human body in a classroom setting. You may also learn how to perform clinical procedures and develop your bedside manner. Clinical training takes place in the last two years of medical school, during which you work in a hospital to gain real-world experience.
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5. Earn your medical licence
After graduating from medical school, take the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) exam to obtain a medical licence. The exam consists of two parts. The first part of the exam occurs during your second year of residency, while the final part is after one year of residence. Some employers may require you to study a specialisation in forensic pathology or medicolegal death investigations. These credentials attest to your experience and knowledge of medical examinations.
6. Study anatomic pathology residency
Completing an anatomic pathology residency programme qualifies you to be a medical examiner. Typically, residency programmes consist of two years in anatomic pathology and two years in clinical pathology. Some programmes include a three-year residency in anatomic pathology exclusively.
Your residency programme may consist of rotations in forensic pathology, cytopathology, dermatopathology and neuropathology. Look for residencies that include autopsy training as part of the curriculum. Asking for guidance from medical examiners or former professors can help you figure out what combination of training is best for you. After completing your residency, you can practise medicine independently.
Related: 34 medical school interview questions (with sample answers)
7. Complete a forensic pathology fellowship
Depending on the combination of training you choose during your residency programme, you may require undertaking a year-long forensic pathology fellowship. This programme helps you improve your skills in investigating violent and unexpected deaths. The fellowship focuses on gathering evidence and identifying infections, poison, gunshot wounds and trauma during autopsies. You can complete your duties in a medical examiner or coroner’s office in most fellowship programmes.
8. Develop a professional network
While completing medical school, internships or volunteer work, try to establish a professional network. This can help you advance your career. Your professional connections can make you aware of opportunities and vacant positions and serve as referees when you apply for jobs. Undertaking a medical fellowship is a great way to make connections, but you can also attend conferences and networking events to meet professionals in your field.
9. Apply to work in a medical examiner or coroner’s office
Ask your professional contacts from medical school, conferences, your residency or fellowship to assist you in getting a job. You can also look for vacant positions on online job sites. Before applying for jobs, it’s important to create a strong CV. When writing your CV, place your most relevant education and professional experience at the top. Include any volunteer work or internships you undertook in a hospital or medical facility while in medical school.
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Skills for medical examiner assistant
Both soft and hard skills are essential in the daily activities of a medical examiner assistant. Here are some important skills for a medical examiner assistant:
- Critical thinking: Medical examiners employ critical thinking skills to analyse evidence and determine the time of death, the most likely cause and other aspects of crime scenes.
- Attention to detail: Medical examiners pay close attention to the details of crime scenes and bodies. This ensures that they don’t overlook any crucial evidence.
- Problem-solving: Medical examiners rely on their problem-solving skills to conduct the best scientific tests and use the most appropriate methods to find the answers they search for about dead bodies.
- Communication: Medical examiners use verbal communication skills to discuss autopsy results with law enforcement agencies and the deceased’s loved ones and give testimony in criminal trials. They also use written communication skills to write reports on their results.
- Scientific knowledge: An understanding of natural sciences, such as anatomy and biology, aids medical examiners in analysing evidence.
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Medical examiner work environment
Medical examiners spend most of their time performing autopsies in morgues. They often work for government organisations, medical schools, morgues and hospitals. They may spend time away from the morgue assessing and collecting samples from crime scenes, meeting investigators and prosecutors and testifying in wrongful death lawsuits, life insurance hearings and murder and homicide cases in courts and mediation rooms.
Most medical examiner assistants work full-time during regular business hours. Some government departments may request them to work on weekends. They may also work overtime or outside of regular business hours during urgent death investigations.
