How Does a Coroner Spend a Workday?
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Long Days
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A coroner gets to work early, usually around 7:00 a.m. and don't finish until around 5:00 p.m. Her job also entails going to crime scenes as needed. This means being on call around the clock, including nights and weekends. A coroner's job is salaried, so there's no paid overtime.
Straight to Business
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Coroner's offices do several autopsies a day. Their job is to find the cause, manner and time of death. While some bodies come in with causes that are obvious, others must be "opened up" and investigated to discover the cause of death, whether it ends up being natural, suicide, homicide, accidental or undetermined. Undetermined is only used in the cases where the autopsy and investigations leave no conclusive cause of death. Autopsies occur with almost every death that occurs, from newborn babies to the very elderly. Attention to detail is very important when trying to find a cause of death. The coroner must also autopsy every body in a timely manner, so that it gets to family for burial or cremation.
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Digging for Clues
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The coroner's job encompasses more than just autopsies and body examinations. The coroner must investigate every death fully, and find a reason for any internal or external injuries that he discovers in the autopsy. Coroners interview medical personnel, caretakers and others involved when investigating a possible homicide or when the deceased has bodily injuries. Sometimes coroners interview witnesses or first responders when investigating a death. Police reports and interviews are conducted to assist the coroner in a homicide case.
People Skills
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The coroner and assistants are responsible for notifying family when a death occurs. Sometimes this means investigating through public and personal records to find the next of kin. If necessary, they also must conduct a viewing for body identification. When this occurs, they must help the grieving individuals and direct them to the proper resources. Dealing with people grieving a death takes great sympathy and empathy, and coroners must master both of those skills to ensure that the situation is as gentle on the grieving as possible.
Coordinating Events
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Funeral homes arrange funerals, memorials and wakes in remembrance of the deceased. Once the coroner finishes examining the body, it goes to a funeral home or other facility as requested by the family. After the exam, the coroner closes the body back up so the funeral home can make the body presentable for the family. Some coroner offices also coordinate with organ retrieval teams in the case of sudden death.
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