READ: The Medical Examiner

The Medical Examiner

Medical Examiners vs. Coroners

You have probably heard both the terms medical examiners and coroners used interchangeably, but there can be a big difference between these two positions. Medical examiners are usually doctors who have extensive training in forensic pathology. This is why medical examiners are sometimes called forensic pathologists. A coroner is an elected official who certifies and investigates deaths. A coroner may have a medical background, but they sometimes do not, especially in rural areas.

In this unit we are going to focus specifically on the role of the medical examiner and the autopsy. The medical examiner’s main focus is determining the time of death, the cause of death, and the manner of death. A medical examiner’s office will typically receive bodies of people who have died suddenly and unexpectedly. If a person dies in a hospital of a known medical condition, they don’t always go to the medical examiner’s office. The body may just have an autopsy done at the hospital. The medical examiner does more in-depth autopsies for cases where the death was violent, sudden, or unexplained.

The Utah Medical Examiner’s Office

Click HERE to visit the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office website. Once there read about how the office works. Look for how many people work there, where they are located, what type of cases they take, and what their facilities are like.