Becoming a Coroner

When I graduate high school I would like to go beyond mandatory schooling and become a Coroner. A coroner is a public official that investigates the deaths that occurred with police matters (Bledsoe). To obtain a position as a coroner you have to be elected into office (“Forensic coroner,”). A coroner also can be called a medical investigator or a death investigator. Coroners perform highly stressful jobs; they are on call 24/7 (“Medical Examiner, “). This to me seems like a very important and highly involved job. This profession appeals to me because even though I love people, I like being behind the scenes and being able to do my job alone. I watch a lot of detective shows that really show me what a coroner is, and by the looks of what they do, it interests me very much. My goals in life are to become something that makes enough money to support my family and then some. If I were to become a coroner, I would be making very decent money. In my interview with the West Chester country coroner, he explained how much education I will need and a lot of other important information. Steven Dicker is the Coroner for West Chester County.

He can be reached at 610-344-6166. I asked him a couple questions like How much Education did you need, What is a typical day for you, What is your salary, What do you like about your job, and What are some special requirements for this job? Steven said that since Coroner’s are medical examiners then need to hold a doctorates and a bachelors degree is something like Forensic science, biology, and or chemistry. As I was researching I saw that a person trying to become a coroner need a degree in law enforcement (“Coroner,”). Steven said a typical day is they do a lot of paper work for different investigations, autopsies, and going out and investigating death scenes. Lastly, He told me that his salary was $60,000 a year. I found out through research that they can make between $28,000-$80,000 a year (“Coroner,”). Medical examiners have to follow a code of ethics. A code of ethics is a written set of guidelines issued by the company to its workers to ensure their primary duties and ethical standards (“Chief Coroner,” 2011).

A code of ethics is fairly long and very detailed. The number one code of ethics for a coroner is “Coroners shall exercise their duties and responsibilities without fear, favor, prejudice, bias or partiality towards any person” (“Chief Coroner,” 2011). Some other rules are coroner’s need to respect the beliefs and/or religious views of the deceased, a Chief Coroner will guide them, and a coroner cannot make decisions beyond the scope of their personal expertise (“Chief Coroner,” 2011). The code of ethics is not the only thing the coroner has to worry about. Coroners have to go through a lot of schooling, they have Special rules you have to follow, and hold a very high position in the medical world. A coroner have to go through about 6 years of school to get their doctorates and also still take classes after that to keep up to date (“Forensic coroner,”). They also have to follow a very strict code of ethics. Lastly, when becoming a coroner you take on the position of a death investigator, which is very powerful. Having done all the research on a coroner I am positive that I want to fulfill this position in my future.

Resources

Bledsoe, L. (n.d.). Coroner job description. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_6110526_coroner_s-job-description.html

Coroner (n.d.). Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/articles/Coroner_Job_Description_and_Info_for_Students_Considering_a_Career_as_a_Coroner.html

Forensic coroner. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/articles/Forensic_Coroner_Job_Description_and_Education_Requirements.html

Medical examiner. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://degreedirectory.org/articles/Medical_Examiner_Job_Duties_Career_Outlook_and_Educational_Requirements.html

Office of the chief coroner. (2011, February). Retrieved from http://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/DeathInvestigations/office_coroner/Cod