What is the professional training of a coroner?

Question

Last year many may have read about the Taylor University students and faculty that were killed in an auto accident. Two of the students were misidentified by the coroner. The coroner had no real professional training. He was our former mayor. I thought coroners had to be doctors or trained medical professionals. Anyone? Serious answers only.

Answer 1

I am a deputy coroner for the county in which I live. Yes there is extensive training for coroners or death investigators. However, even with this training, mistakes are still made. We are only human. It is terrible when this happens but unfortunately it does happen. As to being medical personnel, it is not required. A knowledge of medicine does help though. A coroner is an elected position (anyone can run for the office). However, the Forensic Pathologist that conducts the autopsies are medical doctors with an extra 4 years invested in the forensic aspect of the job. They are extremely qualified. Just to be a deputy, I went through a week long training course and am POST certified (POST- Police Officer Standard Training). This certification is mandatory for all Coroners and Deputy Coroners. I also have certificates of completed training in Homicide Scene, Suicide Scene, Accidental Death, Natural vs. Other Deaths, Positive ID of Deceased, and Notification of Family. In addition to this training, coroners are required to, and MUST complete 20 hrs of ongoing training every 2 years.

Answer 2

The answer is not the same in all places, but here is the general idea: Traditionally (going back to medieval England), a coroner is a king's representative who looks into suspicious deaths. ("Coroner" is a corruption of "crowner", a person who represents the crown = king.)



In the U.S., a coroner was typically a person with no medical training who was elected to sit as a sort of judge at an inquiry into a suspicious death (a coroner's inquest).



In modern times, many political jurisdictions decided they wanted an expert to decide why people died. They hired a person who was usually called a medical examiner to do this. Medical examiners are physicians trained in post-mortem examinations.



Some jurisdictions have only a coroner, some have only a medical examiner, and some have both. The news media have no clue what the difference is, and even if they do, they may choose to ignore it to make the story sound more interesting.



To get down to your question: If the "coroner" was truly a coroner, he or she was elected, and training was not a part of the job description. If the person was a medical examiner, it should have been someone with an M.D. and specialized training on top of that.

Answer 3

The requirements to be a coroner vary greatly from one jurisdiction to another in the United States. Some jurisdictions require little or no training. In others the requirements may be that the coroner must be a licensed pathologist.

Answer 4

Coroners require no formal training. They are county appointed positions. Medical examiners are MDs or DOs who have been through a Pathology residency and a one-year fellowship in Forensic Pathology to be board eligible.

Answer 5

In my county, the coroner is elected on a public ballot, along with mayor, sheriff, etc.



He is normally a doctor, I don't know if it is required though. A buddy of mine did it for two years.

Answer 6

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