Perhaps you have always dreamed of being a forensic doctor, either because a family member of yours is or because you spent hours watching television series like CSI or Bones. They are series that showed the importance of this profession for the police and to clarify some cases that without his skills would always have been hidden without bringing the truth to light.
Forensic doctors are officials who work in the Legal and Judicial Medicine Services to solve criminal cases and also assist in medical and police investigations. If you want to work as a forensic doctor in the future it is more than likely that you will ask yourself what you should do to achieve it.
First you should know that they are people with degrees in Medicine, since they are doctors. Then you will have to do a specialized postgraduate course and take it in the Specific Training System. But what more studies and skills do you need to be a forensic doctor? Keep reading because the information that we are going to comment on interests you.
What do you need to study
To be a forensic doctor, you must study the University Degree in Medicine for 6 years and pass a total of 360 credits. Once this is done, you will have to take the Specific Training System for 4 years and train as an Internal Resident Doctor (MIR). As you can see, there are many academic years, but if you are really fascinated by this, then it will definitely be worth the effort.
But it is not the only way to achieve it. If you do not want to do the MIR but you want to get a position as a civil servant, then one option is to present yourself to the opposition to the National Corps of Forensic Doctors (CNMF). These competitions are usually annual and all the requirements that you must have are published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) at the beginning of each year.
It is also a good idea for you to complement your training as a forensic doctor and also have more success in your career, do some courses or masters apart from having your official degree. You can also study along with this:
- Legal and prison psychology
- Forensic genetics
- Forensic chemistry
- Criminology and security
- Forensic Nursing and Criminology
- etc.
What medical examiners do
Forensic doctors during the autopsy must meet objectives and carefully observe the corpse for post-mortem evidence. They look for clues through internal and external investigation of the body. They can study tissues, cells, organs, and body fluids from deceased people and then evaluate the collected data to determine the cause of death.
Forensic doctors can also help clarify violent crimes, rapes, and even crimes that did not end in death. Sometimes they test DNA and blood for evidence. The forensic doctor's job includes:
- Investigate deaths
- Conduct forensic medicine and pathology consultations
- Counsel families and explain causes of death
- Testify in court about autopsies and results of the same
- Do physical exams and lab tests
- Conduct investigations and subpoenas with witnesses
What do you need to be a good coroner?
To be a good forensic examiner, you will need some skills and competencies that, of course, will be given to you by experience in your work. Although, if you know them in time, you can cultivate them in yourself so that when the time comes, everything will be easier for you. Some of these skills and competencies that you need to have are:
- Interest in science
- Interest in law and criminology
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Be a good communicator
- Know how to work in a team
- Ability to work under a lot of pressure
- Good ability to concentrate
- Ability to give complex information in a simple way
- Be emotionally strong
- Know how to face extreme situations
- Being able to separate personal from professional life
How much do you charge?
Although you can get into this profession by vocation, nobody lives off the air, so it is normal that you want to know how much a forensic doctor charges and that in that way, you still know whether or not it is worth doing this type of profession for your life.
Normally a forensic doctor when he begins his career usually charges between 1800 and 2000 euros, although this money can increase, for example, with the bonus for seniority. If you think that it is more than enough money to do something that you like and that you will like forever, you just have to think about how to organize your studies and start doing it as soon as possible! They are many years of preparation but it will undoubtedly be worth it.