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Coroners

Direct activities such as autopsies, pathological and toxicological analyses, and inquests relating to the investigation of deaths occurring within a legal jurisdiction to determine cause of death or to fix responsibility for accidental, violent, or unexplained deaths.

What you’d do

  • Complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death.
  • Perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death.
  • Interview persons present at death scenes to obtain information useful in determining the manner of death.
  • Observe and record the positions and conditions of bodies and related evidence.
  • Provide information concerning the circumstances of death to relatives of the deceased.
  • Remove or supervise removal of bodies from death scenes, using the proper equipment and supplies, and arrange for transportation to morgues.
  • Inquire into the cause, manner, and circumstances of human deaths and establish the identities of deceased persons.
  • Observe, record, and preserve any objects or personal property related to deaths, including objects such as medication containers and suicide notes.

Skills that matter

  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Coordination
  • Social Perceptiveness

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Autopsy Facilities Manager
  • Coroner
  • MDI (Medicolegal Death Investigator)
  • Medical Examiner
  • County Coroner
  • Death Investigator

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