Career Interview Responses:
Interview of Jamie Obarst
What is the difference between a coroner and a medical examiner?
~ A coroner is an elected official. Here in the state of Kansas a coroner has to be a physician but in some states they don't have to be. A medical examiner usually is a forensic pathologist.
What is a typical day like for you?
~ It depends; on homicides or suspicious deaths, I go to the scene. On a typical day I come in between 7 and 8:30 and check with
the investigators. Usually there are a couple of autopsies each day, but sometimes there are none and sometimes there are six. When I'm not doing autopsies, I look at stuff under the microscope and dictate notes.
What made you want to become a forensic pathologist?
~ When I went to medical school I was planning ongoing into surgery, but the hours are very long and it's hard to have a private life. One of the things I like about medicine is the interaction with other doctors. With specialties like pathology or radiology you have little patient contact but you work with other doctors. I had decided to go into regular pathology, but as a resident I worked under a very good forensic pathologist who guided me along.
How long does an autopsy take?
~ Normal autopsies take about two hours, but I have had some homicide cases where they lasted 15 hours over a few days.
Is there any difference between what you do and the way TV shows and books describe it?
~ The biggest difference is that TV shows have a forensic pathologist who does everything. They have them trace evidence, analyze DNA and go to every scene. That makes each one a lab tech plus a police officer and a forensic pathologist.
Do you have any suggestions for someone interested in your job?
~ It is a long road after medical school and internship but the job is different every day and very interesting. Not everyone can do
this job. Autopsies are very different from any other medical job.
Is This Job for Me?
~ I am still not sure if this job is for me or not. The idea of it interests me a lot. The length of time that you have to go to school doesn't bother me too much either because almost anything I would do, I would be going to school for more than four years. The part I don't know is, if I can actually do the job. I haven't really had any opportunities to find out if I could do it either.
Interview of Jamie Obarst
What is the difference between a coroner and a medical examiner?
~ A coroner is an elected official. Here in the state of Kansas a coroner has to be a physician but in some states they don't have to be. A medical examiner usually is a forensic pathologist.
What is a typical day like for you?
~ It depends; on homicides or suspicious deaths, I go to the scene. On a typical day I come in between 7 and 8:30 and check with
the investigators. Usually there are a couple of autopsies each day, but sometimes there are none and sometimes there are six. When I'm not doing autopsies, I look at stuff under the microscope and dictate notes.
What made you want to become a forensic pathologist?
~ When I went to medical school I was planning ongoing into surgery, but the hours are very long and it's hard to have a private life. One of the things I like about medicine is the interaction with other doctors. With specialties like pathology or radiology you have little patient contact but you work with other doctors. I had decided to go into regular pathology, but as a resident I worked under a very good forensic pathologist who guided me along.
How long does an autopsy take?
~ Normal autopsies take about two hours, but I have had some homicide cases where they lasted 15 hours over a few days.
Is there any difference between what you do and the way TV shows and books describe it?
~ The biggest difference is that TV shows have a forensic pathologist who does everything. They have them trace evidence, analyze DNA and go to every scene. That makes each one a lab tech plus a police officer and a forensic pathologist.
Do you have any suggestions for someone interested in your job?
~ It is a long road after medical school and internship but the job is different every day and very interesting. Not everyone can do
this job. Autopsies are very different from any other medical job.
Is This Job for Me?
~ I am still not sure if this job is for me or not. The idea of it interests me a lot. The length of time that you have to go to school doesn't bother me too much either because almost anything I would do, I would be going to school for more than four years. The part I don't know is, if I can actually do the job. I haven't really had any opportunities to find out if I could do it either.