-
Step 1
Start preparing in high school for a career in forensic pathology. Take as many honors classes as you can in English, math and science. This will help you gain the writing and study skills that you will need as a forensic pathologist.
-
Step 2
Earn a Bachelor's degree from an accredited school. Consider attending a small liberal arts college. Large state schools will provide the same education, but you are more likely to get more one on one attention at a smaller school. Entrance into medical school requires at least two years of chemistry, biology and physics courses, so make sure that you take all the necessary courses. Getting a degree in a science will help ensure that you take all the required science classes, although many go to medical school with a degree in a social science.
-
Step 3
Volunteer at a hospital to get some experience in the medical field. Try to volunteer in the hospital morgue if possible. Ask the hospital staffers if they will allow you to observe an autopsy. This will give you some more insight into the forensic pathologist career as well as let you know if you are actually interested in medicine.
-
Step 4
Take the Medical College Admission Test. Make sure to study beforehand to earn the best score. Apply to as many medical schools as possible.
-
Step 5
Complete four years of medical school. Try to take a pathology rotation as soon as possible. This will give you pathology experience early on so you will be prepared for your residency later. Taking the pathology rotation first also lets you know if a career in forensic pathology is still what you want to pursue. If it isn't, there are still plenty of other fields within medicine to work in.
-
Step 6
Complete a four- to five-year residency in clinical pathology. Once you complete the residency you will be eligible to take the board certification exam in pathology.
-
Step 7
Complete a one- to two-year fellowship in forensic pathology. This is the time where you really begin to apply everything you have learned to forensics. To get a fellowship in forensic patholog, you will most likely have to move to a large city. Try to get a fellowship in which you can complete about 250 autopsies a year. This will give you enough experience and enough time to thoroughly do your job.
