Difference between a Forensic Pathologist and a Coroner
Forensic pathologists and coroners work with the deceased and, thus, can share similar job duties. For example, they both can prepare and sign death certificates and testify in court trials or hearings. However, the two differ fundamentally in work focus, education, licensing, working experience and environment, and daily job responsibilities.
Forensic pathologists are physicians whose primary task is establishing a deceased person’s cause of death. Generally, their focus is on unexpected deaths following an accident or criminal event. Thus, forensic pathologists often work closely with law enforcement professionals during criminal investigations.
Occasionally, they can also conduct an autopsy requested by the deceased’s relatives when the cause of death is particularly unclear. Meanwhile, coroners are professionals primarily engaged in the investigation of death. The position of a coroner is typically appointive or elective, and often, they serve a specific area or jurisdiction like a city or county.
The difference in the work focus mandates a different level of education necessary for becoming a forensic pathologist and a coroner. The position of a forensic pathologist requires possessing undergraduate and medical degrees. Prospective practitioners must attend medical school and graduate from an allopathic or osteopathic program. They must then do a residency in pathology for three to five years. After this pathology residency they then do an additional one to two year fellowship solely involving forensic pathology-related subjects in an accredited medical examiner office.
Conversely, a medical degree usually is not a prerequisite for becoming a coroner. Those who would like to work as medical examiners may obtain a higher degree, but most often, a bachelor’s degree in anatomy, criminology, or forensic science suffices.
Since forensic pathologists are medical doctors, they must have a corresponding medical license to practice. The medical licensure they need will depend on the state where they intend to work and its specific requirements. Most often, these include having a medical degree and passing the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). In addition, forensic pathologists must be board-certified by the American Board of Pathology. This board certification process consists of professional reviews by teachers in their programs and permission to “sit “ for the forensic board exam . If successful the candidate is then board certified in the field of forensic pathology with a time limited certificate requiring recertification every ten years by completing quarterly exams as well as professional recommendations and medical licensure.
Contrarily, with coroners typically getting appointed or elected to their position, the necessary qualifications, including licensure, are much fewer. No licensing requirement for becoming a coroner exists, and it is not uncommon that coroners’ career starts immediately after completing their undergraduate studies.
As for working experience and environment, forensic pathologists usually work in clinical settings, including hospitals, forensic laboratories, and medical examiner offices. They can also be private company employees and provide related services to law enforcement agencies. Forensic pathologists often have to work overtime or on weekends as they typically get sent to crime scenes where a death has occurred. In contrast, coroners are commonly part-time employees at the county sheriff’s department and complete their job tasks at the county morgue within regular business hours.
Finally, despite the overlapping job duties of a forensic pathologist and a coroner, each has differing daily responsibilities characteristic of their position. For example, coroners may have more paperwork-related duties. They must compile and keep detailed reports on autopsies, evidence, and new findings.
A coroner can also help the deceased’s relatives with sorting out paperwork, including getting insurance benefits for burials. Coroners can also demand an inquest into the deceased’s death. And depending on the jurisdiction they serve, they can also have the authority to issue a subpoena to support the inquest.
Forensic pathologists, on the other hand, can carry out duties that coroners may lack the qualification or licensure to complete. These can encompass diagnostic tests and medical operations that entail solid knowledge of medical practices and extensive formal training. For example, forensic pathologists can assess the health and overall condition of the deceased’s organs through an autopsy as a potential contributing factor to their death or biopsy and examine tissue samples as well as other biological pieces of evidence.
