Best questions to ask the County Coroner re: my desire to be a Forensic Pathologist or Scientist?

Question

I will be meeting with my county's Coroner this evening, along with the other members from my local Citizens on Patrol. I have prepared a list of questions, but I don't want to leave anything out. I'm mostly curious about the scope of jobs available, what type of education/ experience/ co-op's, etc. are required and/or desirable, and if there are any opportunites for laypeople to volunteer their time and/or assistance (while I'm earning my degree) in any capacity (filing papers, anything)..

I would like to make sure that I am not inadvertently leaving out any areas of discussion for which such an experienced person might be able to provide answers.. but only if I knew to ask the question.

Thanks!

You're awesome, finaldx. These are the types of questions that I wanted to ask, but couldn't put into words because of the technicalities. Please, if anyone can think of anything else, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks again.

Answer 1

You might want to ask them also what the physical requirements are to be able to perform the job. Ask about how HIPPA affects them.

Ask them how they handle the interference of journalists "second guessing" their diagnoses. Ask them how often they have to testify in court.

Ask them if they are a doctor, and if not who does the autopsy work for them, and if that person is board certified in forensic pathology. Ask them if they are aware of how other states' death investigation/death certification processes work. Ask them if they certify the deaths online.

Ask them what other subspecialists they have to consult in difficult cases. Ask them if their office abides by the accreditation guidelines outlined by the National Association of Medical Examiners.

www.thename.org

I thought of one other thing. Do they ever feel burned out or that they suffer from "compassion fatigue", which happens when you are required to interact with too many families in the throes of acute and real grief. I find that it takes an emotional toll on me. I am switching jobs from an office where I talked to families daily to one, next town away where they have structured the office differently, where a forensic nurse answers most of the family's questions. We have to be somewhat removed, or remote or "cold" if you will when dealing with death, or we could not be dispassionate and scientific, and when we have to switch hats too much to be around the people who are undergoing the grief process, it takes a toll.