Medicolegal Death Investigator

How to Become a Medicolegal Death Investigator: A Complete Career Guide

Medicolegal death investigators make around $67,440 per year based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This career path could be ideal if you have a passion for forensic science and can handle working in tough situations.

Your role as a trained professional will involve responding to death scenes to determine causes of death and gather vital evidence. This career isn’t suited for everyone. The work is very challenging both physically and mentally. You’ll also need excellent communication skills to help families cope with their loss during their toughest moments.

A typical path to become a medicolegal death investigator starts with a four-year college degree. Many professionals gain experience in related fields like emergency medical services or law enforcement. Becoming skilled at death investigation takes real commitment—research shows that it takes about 10,000 hours of proper practice to excel in any field.

This detailed guide covers everything you need to know about becoming a medicolegal death investigator. We’ll look at education requirements, daily tasks, and career growth opportunities. Let’s see how you can build a meaningful career in this important field that needs dedicated professionals.

The medicolegal death investigation field shows steady growth for people starting their careers. Job opportunities will increase by 4% from 2023 to 2033. The broader forensic science technician field looks even better with 13% growth from 2024 to 2034, which is substantially higher than most other jobs.

Between 5,000 and 8,000 death investigators now work in more than 2,000 medical examiner and coroner offices across the United States. While this might seem like a large workforce, the field faces several challenges that create openings for qualified newcomers.

The job market looks promising with about 2,900 forensic science technician positions opening up each year over the next decade. These openings come from both field growth and the need to replace staff who move to other careers or retire.

All the same, the medicolegal investigation system faces major staffing shortages, especially when it comes to forensic pathologists. By 2020, only 500 practicing forensic pathologists worked nationwide, though the workload needed 1,280 specialists. This gap has probably grown even wider because of rising cases from the opioid epidemic, fentanyl deaths, gun violence, and COVID-19.

The field also doesn’t deal very well with:

• Chronic funding shortages
• Outdated equipment
• Inconsistently implemented standards across jurisdictions
• Limited accreditation (only 17% of medicolegal death investigation offices were accredited according to the last census)

The federal government has stepped in to help through programs like the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants, giving $35 million in 2023. This money helps state and local governments handle staffing needs, accreditation, education, certification, and training requirements, along with buying new equipment.

The Medicolegal Death Investigation Working Group has spent five years finding system gaps and building networks to tackle these challenges. So, work is happening now to improve training programs and professional standards throughout the industry.

Starting a career in this field looks promising because of steady job growth and substantial workforce shortages. You’ll likely find high demand for your specialized training and skills as jurisdictions nationwide try to boost their medicolegal death investigation capabilities. It also means you’ll have room to advance once you establish yourself in the profession.

Medicolegal death investigators earn different salaries across the United States. The job needs specialized skills to investigate suspicious deaths, and the pay depends on several factors.

The national average salary for medicolegal death investigators falls between $57,765 and $67,440 per year. New professionals start at $32,000 to $42,339 yearly. Top performers in the field can earn $73,970 to $116,500 each year.

Where you work makes a big difference in how much you earn. Here are the…