Assistant medical examiners assist with autopsies.
An assistant medical examiner helps determine the cause of the end of a person's life, especially if the death was untimely or suspicious. Assistant medical examiners are sometimes considered pathology assistants or coroner's assistants, although the educational requirements are different for each. Assistant medical examiners need to be doctors and receive a significant amount of other education and training. Salary for an assistant medical examiner varies widely and depends on experience, ranging from approximately $100,000 to $175,000 per year.
Duties
Most states require the presence of a pathologist while the assistant is working, according to medicalassistantvacancies.com, especially during autopsies. A medical examiner assistant may need to be present when a person's body is first discovered and throughout investigation, checking for initial injury or obvious cause of death.
Connecticut's Office of the Medical Examiner's description of an assistant medical examiner's duties says they must be available to check for postmortem changes such as "livor, rigor and algor." They may also collect samples and specimens for later examination by themselves or others. They can also be present for transport of a body to the medical examiner's office, and if an autopsy is necessary, will need to be present. Many states require the automatic examination of certain deaths, such as homicide, deaths in police custody, drivers, passengers and suspicious deaths.
Communications and Compassion
An assistant often works with family members and law enforcement, according to the Connecticut's Office of the Medical Examiner's description of an assistant medical examiner's duties. The assistant can prepare the official cause of death report and could be the person assigned to speak with the family, as well as with law enforcement in the case of a suspicious death. She could also complete the death certificate. Assistant medical examiners need compassion in dealing with the family, especially of victim of a suspicious or untimely death.
Education/Licensure/Certification
Assistant medical examiners must be physicians who are certified by the American Board of Pathology. Some states license assistant medical examiners.
There is an important distinction between medical examiners and coroners. Medical examiners are doctors who are board-certificated in pathology and forensic medicine. Coroners can be medical examiners; however, they often coordinate the activity of police officers, examiners and forensic scientists in the course of investigating unexplained deaths.
Work Environment
An assistant medical examiner could work with a city, county or state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and with other medical examiners, pathologists and coroners. A larger medical examiner office could comprise a chief and several assistants, along with other experts.
Legal Tasks
An assistant medical examiner may be called on to testify in the cases of suspicious deaths, according to the Utah Office of Medical Examiner. However, sometimes that responsibility is assumed by the chief medical examiner.
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