How to become an Autopsy technician

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How to become an Autopsy technician

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.

Who Is 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.

How to Become An Autopsy Technician?

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:

Obtain A Bachelor’s Degree in Forensics:

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:

  • Students need to pass their class 10th and 12th in the science stream with at least 50% marks from a recognized board.

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:

  • Full-time Mode: Through this, you will be getting a regular forensics course degree from a recognized institute. You will be required to visit the institute on a daily basis and thus pass the examinations.
  • Part-time Mode: Under this, you will not be visiting the campus regularly instead you will only go for the examinations. The remaining whole year of your graduation you will be studying while staying at your home.
  • Distance Mode: In this mode, candidates are not required to visit the campus ever and they will be getting their graduation degree while sitting at home.

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:

  • Tech. (Forensic Science),
  • Sc. (Forensic Science).

Start Your Internship:

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.

Get Certification:

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.

Consider A Master's Degree:

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 must have passed class 10th and 12th in the science stream with at least 50% marks.
  • They should have passed their bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with at least 50% aggregate marks.

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:

  • M.Tech.,
  • M.Sc.,
  • M.Phil.,
  • Doctorate.

You can opt for any of the specializations offered to upgrade your skills. Some of the specializations are mentioned below:

Specializations Offered:

  • Chemistry,
  • Forensic Biology,
  • Toxicology,
  • Ballistics,
  • Anthropology,
  • Pathology.

Skills Required By Crime Scene Technicians:

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:

  • Attentive To Each and Every Detail:

    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.

  • Organizational Skills:

    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.

  • Communication Skills:

    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.

  • Scientific Skills:

    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.

Roles and Responsibilities of an Autopsy Technician?

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:

  • Prepare the autopsy room,
  • Get the body of the deceased prepared for autopsy,
  • Transportation of the deceased,
  • Coordinating and assisting the pathologist and the medical examiners,
  • Get the autopsy equipment ready,
  • Positioning and photographing the corpse,
  • Reporting and documenting the findings of the autopsy,
  • Collecting samples like body fluids, fingerprints, DNA samples,
  • Dropping the body to funeral homes after autopsy,
  • Documenting the medical history of the patient,
  • Weighing the organs,
  • Applying sutures,
  • Opening and stitching bodies,
  • Performing X-rays.

Salary of Autopsy Technician Based On Experience:

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.

References:

  • https://collegeeducated.com /csi-careers/autopsy-technician /#:~:text=The%20individual% 20must%20have%20a,takes% 20four%20years%20to% 20complete.
  • https://www.indeed.com /career-advice/finding -a-job/autopsy-technician
  • https://www.gcu.edu/blog /medical-studies-sciences /how-become-autopsy-technician
  • https://collegeeducated.com /csi-careers/autopsy-technician/
1. How to become a crime scene technician?
To become a crime scene technician, candidates need to pursue their bachelor’s degree in forensic science.
2. What are the roles and responsibilities of a crime scene technician?
The roles and responsibilities of a crime scene technician include, opening the corpse, examining the organs, preparing the autopsy room and the equipment, etc.