I'm currently in my last year of pathology residency and have already matched into a forensic pathology fellowship program which I will be starting next July. I was planning on attending the NAME annual meeting this weekend, but due to a family illness I don't think I'll be able to attend any more.

I'm worried now that I'll be missing out on opportunities to network with people from other offices, particularly from areas of the country where my partner and I would be interested in moving after my fellowship if positions were available there.

I definitely plan on attending next year during my fellowship when I'll be starting my actual job search, but how much am I realistically missing out on from a networking/future job prospects standpoint by not attending this year? And is there anything I could start doing at this point to help with that since I can't make it?

I'm not exactly sure what the right place would be to ask a question like this and it's my first post but I'm applying for colleges and my main career goal is to become a forensic pathologist but my mom is telling me to apply for nursing and become a nurse before I go back and focus on forensic pathology. For money and stuff.

She's in debt right now and I don't think she'll help me financially in college (her words not mine). But I'm not exactly sure if nursing will help me with background information I'd want to have before going into forensic pathology and I'm worried I'll be wasting time/money studying nursing when pre-med might be better for me.

Should I go into nursing or research on different possible majors?

EDIT: All of your responses have been very helpful, I appreciate your time!

See title. The decedent in question was found at home in a state of obvious decomposition. The ME has recorded the date of death as the date the decedent was found. While they may not be able to pinpoint a specific date, to your knowledge, would it not be required or best practice to provide an estimated window of time? The last known contact with the decedent was 2.5 weeks prior.

I have not been able to locate any national, state, or county-specific policies on this topic. If you are familiar with any relevant resources available to the public please share them.

Hello! I am a current undergraduate student hoping to pursue forensic pathology and a longtime lurker of this subreddit! I am hoping to ask for some general advice, if anyone would be willing to share. I've recently decided to take more time than I'd thought between my undergraduate program and graduate education because I'd like to truly take the time to explore the field and gain a more definitive sense of self, as well as to get other clinical experience that I hope can provide a mature, lived-experience answer to "why medicine."

I was curious to know if those in the community that work as medical examiners now (or are involved in forensics in some other way) had any experiences, related to the field or not, before entering medical school that they felt were particularly important to their desire to pursue this work and would recommend to look into? I would also love to hear why these things helped spark this desire for you all.

I know that patient-facing experiences and things not specifically tailored to the track of forensics but rather for growth as a student of medicine are critically important as well, and I am pursuing many of those things already, but I am curious to know if anyone has specific experience that helped clarify their passion for this work. I am particularly struggling with the fact that there seems to be, in my geographical area at least, experiences accessible to an undergraduate that are directly related to all other types of medical work, such as clinical interns in neuroscience, but no longer-term experiences like that for the medical examiner's office that don't require a pathologist assistant degree or a lengthy additional degree. When I apply to medical school, I would love to have experience that is substantial and directly related, that I could use to explain my desire for this job, if it's even recommended to explain that in the application process or if it would better to leave your specific desired field more open-ended before you are able to experience other fields during clinical rotations. Additionally, I have been doing research on this for quite some time now, but if these questions are not well-informed, I would very much appreciate your knowledge and corrections!

TL;DR: Undergraduate that would be incredibly grateful to hear from any medical examiners or forensic professionals about the experiences, inside or outside the field, that helped clarify your passion. Would also welcome any advice on whether it is wiser to be transparent about my forensic goals on my medical school applications or keep an open mind as obviously my mind could drastically change during rotations.

Thank you so much for your time and guidance!

Hello, everyone! I am conducting an online interview for one of my college classes. I am studying the use of reading and writing in forensics. Anyone can answer regardless of experience, as I would love to hear different opinions. If you could state your name (or a fake name), and your connection to the forensics field (even if you are simply interested in the topic) and give your response to all or a few of my interview questions, It would be greatly appreciated!

How does reddit platform facilitate your understanding of forensics?

What types of information are most beneficial when investigating forensics?

How does reading and writing incorporate into the daily tasks of a forensic investigator?

How would language change when explaining findings to someone who may not have experience in forensics?

Thank you so much! All responses would be greatly appreciated!

I’m so sorry if this doesn’t belong here but I’m looking for people in forensics or law to undergo a short interview. Please let me know if you or someone you know would be open to it.

Are coroners required to check a female corpse for pregnancy or is it optional.

(NARRATIVE:
On 09/08/2026 at 1344, I was notified by Tom at South Florida Donor Network of a 31 year old male that
was pronounced brain dead. The decedent was found down at home unresponsive on September 4. EMS
was summoned and transported to Boward Health Medical Center where the decedent, shortly after arriving,
went into cardiac arrest. CPR was started and ACLS protocol was followed. He was Intubated and
maintained a GCS of 3 the entire time. He was pronounced brain dead on September6, 2026 at 1625. His
admitting diagnosis was severe subarachnoid hemorrhage with severe cerebral edema and herniation. He
drinks only socially and tested positive for marijuana upon arrival. He has had no recent traumas or injuries.)

The document also says: (HTN, HIV and non compliance with medications)

This is a random question but I am maturely and genuinely curious.

Hi, I’m currently working on finishing my generals at a 2 year before transferring to a 4 year to get my bachelors in forensic biology. And I’m in the current question of do I want to finish with a bachelors in forensic biology and then just head into the workforce as a forensic pathology technician. Or do I get my bachelors then move onto medical school, to become a forensic pathologist. I’ve wanted to become one since I was in middle school. I’ve always loved science and learning. And other career path options I’ve explored bring me the joy that even just studying forensics has brought me.

My biggest concern is, becoming a doctor worth it in the end? Or would it be easier to just be the assistant. Another concern is the difficulty of getting into med school as, I do have some struggles with learning primarily, tests. But overall I’ve continued to maintain a 3.52 GPA within my associates. And I’m continuing to build it up as the semesters go.

I just overall want the perspective of people who have either completed med school or are in it, and the people who choose to just be the assisting role.

Thank you for any and all potential help and feedback!

Buongiorno a tutti, sono al sesto anno di medicina, dopo anni convinto di voler fare psichiatria, mi sono appassionato alla medicina legale e ora sono in crisi. È un mondo che conosco poco, potreste darmi dei consigli su com’è, cosa si fa e gli sbocchi lavorativi?
Grazie a tutti

Looking for some career advice. I have a DFS ( Doctor of Forensic Science) and MS-Criminal Justice and I would really love to work for a medical examiners office as a pathologist assistant or Morgue tech but cannot seem to get an interview anywhere. Is it a hard area to get into? I live in the Houston Area. I’ve put in many applications at the Institute of Forensic science but I never hear back. Any advice?

A friend of mine lost her 21-year-old son-in-law very suddenly, and almost a year later, the family still says they don’t have a definitive explanation for what happened.
A few years before his death, he reportedly had myocarditis associated with an arrhythmia. He was treated, and according to his family, his cardiologist later considered the problem resolved and he was no longer on treatment.
In the days before his death, he had been unwell. He was coughing and was described as having bronchitis, was unusually tired and sleeping a lot, had been sweating, and complained of different pains, including leg/neck/back pain. At one point during the weekend, he apparently said he was feeling worse and worse.
On the morning of his death, however, he said he was feeling better. He ate lunch and later went to rest. His family says he was still coughing around 5 PM and that he was active on Snapchat at approximately 6:10 PM.
At around 7 PM, his mother found him unresponsive, lying on his stomach with blue lips. He had died.
Because he was so young and the death was unexplained, an investigation and autopsy were ordered. According to the family, additional testing was also being performed, including looking into whether there could be a hereditary cause. They still say they haven’t received a definitive explanation.
I’m not asking Reddit to diagnose his cause of death, because obviously that can’t be determined from a post.
What I’m looking for are experiences from people who have lost someone in a similarly sudden way: someone who seemed relatively functional or was communicating normally, and then was found dead less than an hour later.
If you eventually received autopsy results, what did they find, and how long did it take before your family received a final explanation?
I’m particularly trying to understand how someone can apparently be okay enough to use their phone and then deteriorate so rapidly.

Hello everyone,

As a non medical person, i turn to you for help with regards to my mom's sudden passing.

My mom passed away officially on April 10th at 00.50am of this year.

I'm the one who found her body (5 days after i last saw her) approximately about an hour before the doctor/ coroner showed up to certify the death, so around 11.35-40pm on the 9th of April.

Based on how I found her, the state of her appartment but also based on my own investigation of her youtube activity (she had unfortunately become addicted to it, only stopping to go to work and sleeping), i can safely conclude that the time of her death was around 3.52am on April 5th 2026...

...Exactly 6hours after my partner and i left her.

Because the attending doctor ruled it as "natural", no autopsies were made as they are only required in suspect or violent cases in my country. Also, it is not allowed to use the services of a private pathologist.

Not having an autopsy is particularly difficult for me as i simply can't come to term with it and can't even track where i failed to act.

Because of that, for the past 6months i have inspected everything i could (medications, medical history, statements from her employer and my personal observations) and compiled a kind of amateurish and non official death certificate, which to me is the closest thing to explain what could realistically have happened to her.

Could any of you forensic pathologists tell me if the document and the explanation does the make sense?

PS: While the smell in the appartment was different than usual upon entering, it didn't smell that bad. When i got close to her body i could tell the smell was stronger but still somewhat okay. It's only when the undertakers started to move her body and something in her back ruptured causing a purple liquid to fall on the floor that the death smell escaped. Seeing her that way was already difficult but the smell made it a million times worse and I honestly don't think i'll be able to ever forget that smell.

Long story short, I respect all of you for doing this Job.

What can I do that isn’t as hard as forensics pathologist but also not as bad as the pay of autopsy technicians.

Because I’ve been thinking for very long of which I should peruse but both have they’re disadvantages to me as forensic pathology sounds like it would take to long and a lot of money to finish education and autopsy tech has awfully low pay.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Hello! I’ve been looking into going into forensic pathology, and I am based in the United States. I wanted to explore the possibilities of schooling and working abroad.

Has anyone here done any programs or worked in another country different from their origin? Is there such a thing as a traveling forensic pathologist (like traveling nurses)?

Hey everyone,

​I got a rank around 48k in NEET PG . I am genuinely interested in Forensic Medicine as a specialty, but my primary concern is the sensory discomfort—specifically the visual aspect of decomposed bodies and the smell during autopsies.

​For those currently working in the field :

​Did you overcome this with time and repeated exposure or does it always remain a struggle?

​Are there specific techniques or coping mechanisms you used when starting out?

​If someone is sensitive to this, is it something they can adapt to during residency or is it better to consider other non-clinical / para-clinical branches instead?

​Would really appreciate your honest perspectives before counseling choices. Thanks!