Forensic Pathology 03/26/15

Today, I would like to explore the field of forensic pathology. To start off, I want to identify what forensic pathology is and what is required to become a forensic pathologist.

"ExploreHealthCareers.org." Forensic Pathologist. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

According to this website, a forensic pathologist, also known as a medical examiner, is a specially trained physician that examines bodies of deceased people that have "died suddenly, unexpectedly or violently." Their ultimate goal is to determine the cause and manner of death; whether it me homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, or unknown. In order for the forensic pathologist to identify and determine all of this, there are several things that they must do. This includes:

• Studying the medical history
• Evaluating crime scene evidence including witness statements
• Performing an autopsy to uncover evidence of injury or disease
• Collecting medical and trace evidence from the body for further analysis

Once all of this is found, the forensic pathologist prepares a written report of their findings and sometimes testifies to these findings in court. There are a lot of things that go into becoming a forensic pathologist. It is not an easy path to pursue. It takes a minimum of 13 years of schooling and training after high school. You also need to have a strong stomach because the job can get very gruesome and there will be bad odors that will have to be endured. And lastly, what I believe to be one of the most important, is that you need to "have a lot of confidence in order to defend your conclusions in the face of opposition from lawyers, the media and even the victims’ families." I believe that you can be the best and most knowledgeable forensic pathologist, but if you don't have confidence in your own work, why should others?

"What Is a Medical Examiner?" How to Become a Crime Scene Investigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar.
          2015.

This site states that a medical examiner, also known as a forensic pathologist, is a medical doctor that is responsible for examining dead bodies to try and determine the cause of death. They are generally called upon to investigate all deaths that may affect the public's well-being. In doing so, the must determine "the cause, the manner of death, and the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual." Forensic pathologists are specially trained to:

• Perform autopsies
• Evaluate historical and law-enforcement investigative information
• Collect medical evidence
• Document sexual assault
• Reconstruct a cause of death

In addition to their traditional medical training, they are also trained in:

• toxicology
• wound ballistics
• trace evidence
• DNA technology
• forensic serology

Their job description includes:

• Investigating sudden and unnatural deaths
• Performing forensic medicine and pathology consultations
• Counseling families regarding the manners and causes of death
• Testifying in courts regarding autopsies and the results of the autopsies
• Conducting physical examinations and laboratory tests resulting from court or district attorney requests
• Conducting inquests and serving subpoenas for witnesses

Because they are considered doctors, they are specific professional standards that must be met to become a licensed forensic pathologist/medical examiner. These standards consist of:

1. Graduating from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in one of the sciences, while focusing their curriculum on such areas as anatomy, cell biology and statistics
2. Graduating from an accredited medical school
3. Passing the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
4. Completing a course of graduate medical education in pathologic forensic training. This often includes training in anatomic and clinical pathology (usually 4 or 5 years), followed by a residency in anatomic pathology or fellowship in forensic pathology (usually 1 year).
5. Passing an examination and receiving certification in anatomic pathology and forensic pathology through the American Board of Pathology (or anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and forensic pathology)

As you can see, there are a lot of things that a person must do to become a forensic pathologist/medical examiner. There is a lot of training and experience that is needed to do this job.This is not an easy process and will take years before they may actually be a working forensic pathologist/medical examiner.

I can only imagine the stress and sacrifices that these individuals must go through in this line of work. After a while, this job must start to take a toll on these people; what with seeing and working with dead bodies that can get pretty gruesome or can be very disheartening. They are often told to not to make emotional connections to the victims because it will cloud their judgment and may affect their work. After learning about this field, I give props to the people that can endure this job. I myself want to pursue a career in the medical field, but I don't know if I would be able to handle working with dead bodies everyday. Although I find this field of work and the topic of criminology fascinating, I think I am way too emotional to fulfill this job and would have a lot trouble with emotionally disconnecting myself from the victim; especially if the victim were a child. Those that are able to fulfill this job are very brave in my eyes.