Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The major differences between coroners and medical examiners are embedded in the manner of their selection by electoral process versus appointment and their professional status. Coroners are elected lay people who often do not have professional training, whereas medical examiners are appointed and have board-certification in a medical specialty.
Medical Examiners and Coroners are distinct titles referring to individuals who complete somewhat similar or overlapping roles, but have very different histories and current-day training and qualifications.
A medicolegal officer can be a coroner or medical examiner. In most states, coroners are not required to be physicians or forensic pathologists. State law often mandates specific death investigation training for coroners.
Both coroner and medical examiner investigate death, particularly one that is untimely, unexpected, sudden, violent, or the cause of which is unknown. Both determine the cause of death, whether it was due to natural causes, a homicide, an accident, a suicide, or undetermined causes.
Key Takeaways: A coroner is usually an elected layperson, whereas a medical examiner is an appointed physician, typically a forensic pathologist. Coroners may or may not have medical training, while medical examiners have specialized training in death investigation.
Coroners are elected lay people who often do not have professional training, whereas medical examiners are appointed and have board-certification in a medical specialty. The coroner system has advantages, but they are heavily outweighed by its disadvantages.
Medical examiners are generally medical doctors with specialized training in forensic pathology and focus on the medical aspects of death, while coroners may not have medical qualifications and are often elected or appointed officials with a broader range of responsibilities in death investigations.
A coroner does not necessarily have a medical background. In fact, a person who works in a different, unrelated field can become a coroner. A medical examiner, on the contrary, is usually a licensed physician who has undergone thorough medical training (usually forensic pathology).
Here are the main key differences between a coroner and a medical examiner: Coroner: May have limited legal authority to investigate the cause of death, depending on the jurisdiction. May not always perform autopsies or have the authority to do so. May be elected by the public, which can introduce politics into the coroner’s office.
A coroner is almost always an elected position at the county level. Their lengthy to-do list includes filling out and filing the death certificates and making official inquests about the deceased's cause of death. Typically, a coroner is not a medical doctor, and might not have any medical background at all.