Important duties and responsibilities of a coroner:

A coroner has several duties and responsibilities to do his job efficiently and skillfully.

The following are list of important duties of a coroner.

• The primary responsibility of a coroner is determining the cause of death.
• The coroners have to do autopsies and conduct tests like pathology and toxicology and develop reports with the obtained test results.
• They testify in the hearings and court trials in case there is a foul play in the demise.
• They follow the stringent regulations that they are bound by.
• They practice only within jurisdiction for which they have obtained license and they are not allowed to work anywhere outside their jurisdiction.
• The coroners hired by a hospital have to do autopsies for deaths that took place inside the hospital.

• They have to interview the witness, family, relatives and neighbors who are present at the crime scene to collect required information used for solving the case.
• They must collect all the evidences that are on and around the dead body.

Responsibilities of a coroner:

• Coroners are responsible for investigating the abnormal or unnatural deaths and detecting all the causes of the demise.
• They are responsible for coordinating with law enforcement and public health departments to discuss about the crime cases.
• They are responsible for managing all the legal procedures involved in the disposal of the unclaimed dead bodies.
• They are also responsible for conducting necessary DNA tests to find out the clues of the death.
• They are responsible for collecting toxicological samples for analysis.
• They are also responsible for assisting the family members of victim regarding insurance policies by providing the correct cause of the death.
• They are responsible for documenting various reports summarizing the test results.
• They are responsible for collecting and preserving the evidences that are found at the crime scene which helps a lot to determine the reason for the unexplained death.
• They are responsible for issuing the death certificate of the deceased and present it to the family.
• They mention the cause and nature of demise in the death certificate.
• They are also responsible for facilitating and coordinating organ donation programs.
• They are also responsible for scheduling and conducting inquests.
• They are responsible for maintaining the statistics affiliated to all the cases reported.

What does a coroner do?

A coroner is a medical professional who investigates the dead bodies and detects the cause of demise by using his/her knowledge in science. These medical professionals help the law authorities such as crime investigators, police department in solving the crimes by finding the cause of victim’s death. They offer help to the law enforcement agencies by determining the causes of unexplained, violent or unnatural deaths. Coroners work only under stringent regulations and investigate demises that take place only within their jurisdiction. The coroner visits the crime scene to investigate the body and to collect required evidence like hair of the dead body, bodily fluids and tissues, fingerprints, weapons or instruments at the crime place and many other minute evidences that help to determine the reason of the demise.

Coroners perform autopsies on the dead bodies and prepare the reports summarizing the results of the autopsy. They conduct toxicological and pathological tests and analyze the results. They are involved in various steps of investigation of circumstances of the demise. They are the people who testify at hearings, inquests and court trials. They also confer with the law authorities and public health officials to coordinate various activities related to the crime. They also offer help to the family members or relatives of the dead person in negotiations related to burial benefits or insurance payments by providing details of death circumstances. They also work in laboratories with pathological equipments under the supervision of physicians.

Coroners are involved in all the stages of investigation of death such as autopsies, pathological tests, and the final step is identification of cause of the death. After completing the process of death investigation, they fill out the necessary papers and complete the death certificate by writing the cause of the death. In most of the crime cases, coroners act as a primary witness in the court trials.

Educational requirements to become a coroner:

An individual should have a strong educational background in order to complete the required courses to become a coroner.

The following are the list of educational requirements required to become a coroner.

• A bachelor degree in any of the medical or science related a field such as forensic accounting, pathology, odontology, toxicology, criminology or jurisprudence is mandatory to apply for the post of a coroner.
• Most of the departments prefer the candidates with a post graduation in science.
• An individual should possess a passion for medical procedures such as drug testing, physical examination, autopsies, etc.
• He should possess a strong command over the science subjects such as anatomy, pathology, toxicology, etc.
• The relevant graduation course completed by an individual should be taken from a medical institution accredited by a medical education liaison committee.
• The courses in humanities, human sciences, mathematics help the individuals to perform the duties of a coroner efficiently.
• They need to possess a 4 year course of Doctor of Osteopathic or Doctor of Medicine after completing a bachelor degree.
• The various coursework and training programs includes the classroom study and practical work on the subjects like forensics, chemistry, biology etc.
• Some of the educational requirements of a coroner vary from state to state.
• Some states often provide advanced training programs to the coroners to improve their skills with latest technologies.

Skill and abilities required for a coroner:

The occupation of a coroner demands certain skill set that the candidate has to keep up in his study, practice and in working procedures.

These skills not only make the candidate to perform his duties efficiently but also help to make a rapid growth in the professional career.

• A coroner should possess excellent medical skills and aptitude.
• They should have complete knowledge on all legal regulations related to crimes.
• They should possess outstanding analytical skills to analyze various circumstances of the death.
• They should have a passion for physical examination processes, medical terminology, drug testing etc.
• They should have excellent skills in performing autopsies for deceased bodies.
• They should have a good command over documentation process as they have prepare documents of the obtained results.
• They should have a team leading skills as they have to supervise a medical team while working on a dead body.
• They should have good language skills to interpret the documents like medical reports, investigative reports etc.
• They should have an ability to write correspondence and routine reports.
• They should have an ability to communicate effectively with staff of the organization and public groups.
• They should also have good reasoning ability to solve various practical issues and to interpret various instructions furnished in the medical and investigative reports.
• They should have the ability to work for long hours and also to travel many places to visit crime scenes in order to examine the dead body.
• They should have the ability to show dexterity at the time of medical procedures.
• They should possess the ability to work within deadlines.
• They should possess good skills in using computer.
• They should have the ability to update their knowledge with the latest technological developments in the forensic field.

Certification and Licensure of a coroner:

• The essentials for certification and licensing of coroners vary from state to state.
• Some states demand coroners to get licensed while some other states demand only for a certification.
• They need to get certified by qualifying in a certification exam which covers the study of investigative techniques, collecting and preserving evidences, tissue and organ donations, testimonies in the courtrooms, forensic operations and techniques etc.
• They need to get licensed before starting an independent practice.
• Once the license is obtained, they can enroll in any of the pathology and anatomy certifying programs to take up the training and get certified.
• They should be registered in a residency program which takes four years to complete and get certified.
• In this residency program, the candidate is demanded to make fifty autopsies.
• This program offers training on various medical procedures such as dissecting processes, examining the specimen, conducting various clinical tests like toxicological test, pathological test etc.
• Once the residency program is completed, the candidate needs to write a test which certifies him as a coroner if passed.
• After getting the certification, they need to enroll in a fellowship program which is of one year duration.
• Once they are done with the fellowship program, they need to appear for a final test to attain final certification.

Salary and Remuneration of a coroner:

• The average salary of a coroner will be around $52,074.
• Coroners who are employed in the locations of high crime rates will be earning around $200,000 on annual basis.
• Coroners who are employed in the locations where there is low crime rate will be getting a salary of $40,000 per annum.
• Deputy coroners will also be earning a salary of $40,000 per annum.
• The salary of a coroner will be varying according to the experience they hold.
• The annual salary of a coroner with the experience of 1-4 years will be in the range $39,135- $58,452.
• The annual salary of a coroner with the experience of 5-9 years will be in the range $60,784- $85,562.
• The annual salary of a coroner with the experience of 10- 19 years will be in the range $90,457- $115,452.
• The annual salary of a coroner with the experience of more than twenty years will be in the range $117,489- $180,500.
• Coroners who are employed in state and local government sectors will be earning in the range $17,517 – $82.562.
• Coroners who are working in police agencies will be earning in the range $67,852- $112,645.
• Coroners who are working in Funeral homes will be earning in the range $45,785- $90,459.
• Coroners who are working in molecular biology industry will be earning in the range $85,478- $115,783.
• Coroners who are enjoying the benefit of life insurance/ disability will be earning in the range $31,556- 465,780.
• The expected rise of coroner salaries is 3% by 2016.