What Is a Medical Examiner?
A medical examiner (ME) is an alternative name for coroner in the US. A coroner is not always a medical examiner, however. In order for a person to be qualified as a medical examiner, he or she must have an M.D., and be licensed as a pathologist.
The pathologist studies disease through examination of tissue, organs, body fluids, and cells. In the case of the medical examiner, this ordinarily takes place after a patient has died. Both a coroner and a medical examiner may be licensed to determine cause of death. In cases of violence, where a crime must be established, but has not caused a death, a medical examiner may assist in rape examinations, analysis of blood, analysis of DNA evidence, and thorough examination of a body to document injury.
Many people may be used to seeing a medical examiner in a court setting, where he or she can describe cause of death or establish DNA evidence. When information about a person who is deceased must be acquired, the medical examiner gets information by conducting the above studies. It should be noted that while most people assume the medical examiner spends most of his or her time doing autopsies, most medical examiners really only spend about 10% of their time doing this. This doesn't stop TV from portraying a medical examiner as always occupied with autopsies.
The medical examiner usually specializes in autopsy pathology, but licensed assistants and not the actual medical examiner may perform much of an autopsy. Any relevant details will be studied in depth, though, so the medical examiner can appear in court. In high profile crime cases, the medical examiner may be a state licensed employee or a private medical examiner. Where anyone must put forward a defense, the testimony of a private medical examiner for the defense can be helpful in refuting testimony given by the state medical examiner.
While coroners do not need the same education as the medical examiner, they may need a degree in law; this can make them helpful during witness testimony. In recent years, there has been a significant move toward replacing the traditional coroner with the medical examiner in many states. In some cities, job requirements may include not only licensing in pathology, but also a law school education. This is a big requirement, representing about 11 years of college work and internships, for jobs that will generally not pay as well as those in the private sector.
Written by Tricia Ellis-Christensen
