Forensic Pathologist Career Description

Forensic Pathologist Profile and Description

A forensic pathologist is an expert medical professional whose job is to conduct autopsies on dead bodies so as to determine the cause of the death. These professionals are hired by medical centers and hospitals and are important to the field of postmortems. Many forensic pathologists also work for crime branches or with the local police of a certain place to help them crack criminal cases etc.

Forensic Pathologist Duties and Responsibilities

The following are a few of the most important duties and responsibilities of forensic pathologists:

• A forensic pathologist works on the given information and tries to know what might have caused the death of a deceased person.

• They jot down new findings and clues to work their way up to the cause of the death.

• Their duty includes helping in investigation of murders etc and conduct evaluation on the autopsy findings.

• Their duty also includes applying knowledge of toxicology, trace evidence and DNA technology.

Forensic Pathologist Skills and Specifications

The following are the major skills which are required by a person who wants to be a forensic pathologist:

• A forensic pathologist must be really attentive and must pay attention to details.

• He/she must be observant and must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.

• They must be brave and courageous and shouldn’t shy away from witnessing gruesome killings and dead bodies.

Forensic Pathologist Education and Qualifications

A forensic pathologist requires the following educational qualifications:

• A 4 year undergraduate course in any field, preferably medical.

• 4 year medical school degree.

• 3-5 years of residency training program in general pathology.

• One year specialty training in forensic pathology.

Forensic Pathologist Salary

On an average, a forensic pathologist earns about $169000 in a year but this amount could vary depending upon the employing hospital or work setting.