Comparison should include the following:
- Coroner—roles and requirements to become a coroner vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, with some requiring the same qualifications as a medical examiner and others requiring no medical training. The coroner’s chief functions are to confirm, certify, and pronounce deaths.
- Medical examiner—appointed or hired, required to have significant training in medicine from an accredited institution and typically trained as a pathologist. The medical examiner’s chief functions include
- investigation of human deaths
- determination of the cause of death
- issuance of death certificates
- maintenance of death records
- response to deaths in mass disasters
- identification of unknown dead.
Process/Skill Questions:
- What are the major differences between a coroner and medical examiner?
- Which responsibilities do coroners and medical examiners share?
- What are the state requirements for medical examiners?