What classes are required for a medical examiner?

Hi Arianna,

• 
  

  Medical examiners are medical doctors who perform autopsies, run clinical tests and act as expert witnesses in cases of undetermined or violent deaths. Becoming a medical examiner typically requires completing prerequisite undergraduate coursework, medical school, a pathology residency and a forensic pathology fellowship, all of which takes a total of around 12-14 years.

  
  


• 
  

  In order to become a medical examiner, individuals need to earn a medical degree such as a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.) degree. Before applying to medical school, students must first earn an undergraduate degree and complete pre-med prerequisites in chemistry, biology, organic chemistry, physics and mathematics.

  
  


• 
  

  Since medical examiners often run forensics exams on corpses, taking forensic pathology elective courses as an undergraduate could prove useful, especially since not all medical school programs offer extensive coursework in this field.

  
  


• 
  

  Most medical school programs are set up so that students spend the first two years in classroom lectures and the remaining two years in clinical rotations working with patients. Coursework in these programs include human health and disease, anatomy, immunology, pathology, medical technologies and healthcare law. During clinical rotations, medical students spend time training in different departments, such as pediatrics, surgery, neurology and ambulatory medicine.

  
  


• 
  

  After completing medical school, individuals who want to become medical examiners require specific training that can be achieved through a residency program related to anatomic or forensic pathology. Residency programs allow doctors to specialize in a particular field, and some residency programs can take up to seven years or more to complete.

  
  


• 
  

  Anatomic and clinical pathology residencies take about 3-4 years and forensic pathology fellowship training takes about 1-2 years. These programs cover such topics as identification of suspicious markings or substances during autopsies, the respectful treatment of remains and common procedures during a forensic autopsy examination.

  
  

In: http://study.com/educational_requirements_for_medical_examiner.html

During high school, you should consider taking courses such as:

Science
Chemistry
Humanities
Anatomy
Physics
Foreign Language

During your undergraduate level, you should consider taking courses such as:

Humanities
Psychology
Anatomy
Pathology
Physiology
Science
Chemistry
Biology

During medical school, you should consider taking courses such as:

Forensic Pathology
Anthropology
Anatomy
Pathology
Physiology
Forensic Anthropology

In: http://www.forensicsciencecareers.net/medical-examiner/education.html

Good Luck!!