The Daily Schedule Of A Forensic Pathologist

Forensic pathologists will perform post-mortem examinations on a daily basis. The corpses that they will examine will include the following:

• Unidentified individuals.
• Bodies that have been severely decomposed, burned or injured and where identification by next-of-kin is not possible.
• Apparent suicides that are queried or homicides that are under investigation. Life insurance companies may also be involved in requesting that post-mortems are done to rule out deaths to gain financial benefits.
• Bodies where apparent natural death is queried. This usually occur as a request by referring physicians or the family of the deceased.
• Bodies that have been exhumed for further investigation into the cause of death.

The examination of individual corpses can take quite a long time as all of them are thoroughly examined and all organs and tissue are examined and weighed. Examination of all the corpses' genitalia, rectums and mouths will be examined to exclude any sexual related injuries or for the detection of semen.

In the cases of homicides where gunshot injuries are concerned, factors such as bullet trajectories, injuries caused by bullets, gunshot residue determination and entry-and-exit sites are all very important issues that need focus and concentration so that the correct and objective information is recorded.

Forensic pathologists can also be summoned to give evidence in court at any given time and their Testimonies can last from a few minutes up to a few days. Time needs to be taken to prepare for cases and this can also occur at any time of the week, but this may usually be done after hours.

Monday 

The forensic pathologists will complete their work at the morgue and then attend meetings, symposiums, etc. The afternoon will be used to start compiling their reports.

Tuesday and Wednesday

The specialist will use these days to follow up on investigations and tests that were requested to be done by the laboratories. The information that is gathered is then entered into the report until the case has been completed.

The full and final report on each patient will then be handed over to the relevant individuals such as investigating police officers, insurance underwriters and referring physicians.

Thursday

The forensic pathologist will continue with their normal routine performing post-mortems, collecting tissue and fluid samples and reporting on their findings. The afternoons are reserved for training under- and post-graduate students and doctors, but the main training is of post-graduate anatomical pathologists and fellow forensic pathologists. These specialist will also present clinical cases for teaching and research purposes.

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Friday

The morning are again utilised for performing their normal clinical duties, as well as following up on investigative reports and compiling their own reports on their findings.

Any unresolved administrative issues are then settled and the work week can conclude.

As mentioned, forensic pathologists use their after hour time to get ready for cases that they are involved in. There may be situations where they are needed at the morgue after hours, and there is a call roster where these specialist will be available to provide their services.