How Does a Medical Examiner Spend a Workday?

In the beginning

A typical day for a medical examiner starts off early. He most likely arrives to work around 6:30 a.m. Usually the first order of business for is to check voice mail messages and read and answer email as well as letters, as time allows. He usually limits this sort of activity to around an hour.
At around 8:00 a.m., he will take a trip to the mortuary, where autopsies must be performed by the medical examiner. In addition to the autopsies, he might have to perform a number of external examinations on deceased people.

More than just autopsies

A medical examiner sometimes has to do several autopsies a day.

In addition to the autopsies and examinations, the medical examiner must review medical records and police reports regarding the death of the person being examined. All of this must be done before rendering to the coroner a probable cause of death. The medical examiner also helps narrow down the circumstances in which the deceased met his demise. The medical examiner must evaluate factors that could have contributed to the death.
In some cases where the cause of death is not clear, the medical examiner must also take tissue samples from the bodies and review them using a microscope in an effort to pinpoint a cause of death. The review of tissue is usually done in the afternoon, following the autopsies and external exams. This must be done before the coroner can receive a final autopsy report.
Once the exams and autopsies have been performed, a report is written on each case.

The end of a long day

Not all work done by a medical examiner consists of examining dead bodies. The examiner must also attend case conferences and meetings with scientific staff and other forensic medical professionals, as well as legal officials and police.
Medical examiners may also serve as tutors, providing sessions to members of the community, post-graduate specialist pathology trainees or law or science undergraduates.
In some cases, the medical examiner may also meet with the deceased person's family in an effort to explain to them the results of the autopsy or examination. In addition, the medical examiner may also perform research projects when time allows.
Meetings in the early evening are sometimes scheduled, but if not, the medical examiner will usually take files or documents home to read, and leave work around 6:00 or 6:30 p.m.