Medical Examiner Salary

As the name suggests, a medical examiner is a professional who provides his services in medical facilities. This is one of the most essential medical jobs that is required in the field of forensics and health care. A medical examiner, also sometimes referred to as a coroner, is responsible for determining the exact cause of the death of a person.

Job Description

A medical examiner is an expert who is handed over the primary responsibility of examining the person's body parts and finding out the exact cause of the death; whether it was due to illness, accident, or murder. Typically, there are two kinds of medical examiners, namely anatomical pathologists and forensic pathologists. The former ones perform postmortems on deaths that take place in hospitals, whereas the latter ones carry out postmortems on the body of crime victims for determining how the murder was done.

Forensic pathologists are usually employed in government facilities and agencies, and anatomical pathologists work in hospitals and other health care settings. After the cause of the death is determined, these medical professionals prepare a detailed report of the matter and submit it to appropriate authorities. They may be required to come to court and act as a witness for assisting related legal formalities.

Salary Range

The main determinants of the average salary are the place and facility of employment, amount of experience, and educational qualifications.

Medical examiners with an experience of one to four years can expect a per annum pay of approximately $31,000 to $44,000. Those who have worked for five to nine years can be eligible for a yearly pay of around $32,000 to $48,000. If you have 10 to 19 years of experience, you can expect a pay of about $35,000 to $54,000 per annum. Those with over 20 years of experience can draw a pay ranging from $75,000 to even $200,000 per year.

Those who are working as forensic pathologists earn a bit less as compared to those who are employed as anatomical pathologists. The reason is that forensic pathologists are mostly employed in government agencies, and anatomical pathologists are generally hired by private hospitals and health care settings. If you are employed in state or local government agencies, you may get a pay of around $30,000 to $65,000 per annum. Those providing their services in federal government facilities can draw a per annum salary of about $90,000.

In the state of New York, the average pay scale ranges from $50,000 to $110,000 per annum. In Texas, medical examiners may get a yearly pay of approximately $44,000 to $74,000, whereas in California, they may get paid at the rate of $51,000 to $70,000 per year. Likewise, the salary differs from region to region. It might as well vary from city to city.

Those who are thinking of becoming a medical examiner should possess a doctorate in medicine and also obtain the required certification in the field of pathology. Becoming a professional of pathology can be a difficult task which requires a lot of study that normally lasts for around 12 years, including undergraduate and doctoral degrees and certification courses.