3,March 2024
Every minute 0.17 people die with 1 person dying due to accidents and sudden deaths every 3 minutes. Because of the sudden demise, their family goes into trauma. But one thing that stresses them the most is “How did their family member pass away?” And here autopsy technicians come into the picture. These experts analyze and examine the body of the deceased to know the reason behind the death of the person. They conduct various examinations using the tissues and body parts to identify the cause of death. Here in this blog, we have given the complete details on how to become an autopsy technician.
Forensic experts who work with pathologists and other medical examiners in morgues and hospitals to determine the cause and manner of the death are called Autopsy Technicians. Their task is very challenging and stressful as these people are required to deal with the dead bodies. Through their examinations, they help in the crime investigation by figuring out what had happened to the deceased that led to his demise. These people are an integral part of the crime investigation teams as they help in finding out the necessary evidence.
Working as an autopsy technician is not an easy task. This profile requires utmost perfection as their findings are evidence in the crime investigation. These experts are responsible for carrying out examinations on the dead body and identifying the presence of poison, injuries, or organ failure. They act as a helpful source for both, investigation teams and law enforcement agencies. For a person to become such an expert, they must fulfill the eligibility criteria and give their hundred percent to learn efficiently so that they perform well.
Candidates can check the detailed procedure of becoming an autopsy technician from below:
For a person to start his career as an autopsy technician, the foremost step is to get a bachelor’s degree. Candidates are required to complete their undergraduate course in the field of forensics. However, to get admission in this field candidates are required to fulfill the basic eligibility criteria as mentioned below:
Eligibility Criteria:
Depending on your choice and availability, you can opt for any of the modes available for pursuing bachelors. The modes available to the candidates are mentioned below:
Let us tell you, all these modes of undergraduation are acceptable and you will get a good paying job as an autopsy technician. Along with the option of modes, you can also choose the degree as per your choice. Undergraduate courses that you can opt for are:
To get a better understanding of your field and working procedure you can get the actual feel by working in the field. For this, you can start working as a trainee or an intern with any company or organization dealing in this field. This internship will help you in your career growth as organizations prefer to hire people who have experience in what they are doing.
To upgrade your knowledge and skills, you can opt for getting a certification in your respective field as well. You can enroll yourself for the certificate course after the completion of your graduation. These courses will range from 6 months to 24 months period. You can choose the one you find interesting. After the completion of your course, you will be required to appear for a passing examination and you will receive the certification.
After the completion of the bachelor’s degree and the certification course, you can also think of pursuing a master’s degree. Getting a master’s degree will not only add another qualification to your resume but will also make you a master’s in your field. After completing your post-graduation degree, you will be hired by reputed companies and will be offered higher packages as compared to those with undergraduate degrees. Candidates are required to fulfill the eligibility conditions to get admission to the desired course. The eligibility criteria for the postgraduation course are mentioned below:
Eligibility Criteria:
Candidates can choose any of the courses from the list mentioned below based on their availability, marks in the undergraduate course, and interest. Some of the courses are:
Postgraduate Courses Available:
You can opt for any of the specializations offered to upgrade your skills. Some of the specializations are mentioned below:
Specializations Offered:
For you to have a successful crime scene technician professional journey, the knowledge of books and concepts will not be enough. Candidates are required to own some special skills as well to perform well in their jobs. Some of the most important skills that are required by these professionals are mentioned below:
These experts are required to be focused and attentive toward their work. They need to pay attention to every minute detail as their job is a critical one. During the inspection of the dead body, it is important for them to clearly report all the findings as it helps in the investigation of the crime.
These professionals should have outstanding organizational skills. Their rule revolves around the proper settlement of the equipment and the instruments used for the body inspection and autopsy. If any of the equipment is not available at the time of the autopsy procedure then it can result in delay and thus will lead to variations in the readings.
Frequent interaction of these experts with the family members of the deceased is a part of their job. Hence these people need to be good while communicating with people. As it is a delicate task to handle the family members of the deceased. While communicating the cause of the death, they should be empathetic.
These technicians work with pathologists and medical examiners and hence their task is scientific in nature. Being not good in subjects like anatomy, biology, pathology, etc will result in the downfall of the career. Hence they should hold strong scientific skills.
The task of an autopsy technician is confined to the laboratories of the morgues and the hospitals. But by thing don’t assume that they will be working only on the corpse, instead they had multiple tasks to furnish. They play an important role in conducting the crime investigation as they help to get the evidence required to prove the accused guilty. And in cases of sudden death, these people help in revealing the cause of death. Some of the most important responsibilities of these experts are given below:
Here we have given the salary of the autopsy technicians based on the years of experience they have. Candidates can have a look at the table given below to get an overview of the same. The salary variation is as follows:
| Serial No. | Experience | Salary (Per Annum) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Entry-level (0-5 Years) | Rs. 350,000 – 5,50,000 |
| 2. | Mid-career (5-10 Years) | Rs. 5,50,000 – 7,50,000 |
| 3. | Experienced (10-20 Years) | Rs. 7,50,000 – 10,00,000 |
| 4. | Late-career (more than 20 Years) | More than Rs. 10,00,000 |
Candidates can go through the entire blog to get an overview of the process of becoming an autopsy technician.
