Medical Examiner Investigator
Impact: Public health, criminal justice, and family closure
Investigates deaths by examining scenes, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and documenting findings to assist medical examiners in determining cause and manner of death.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Extensive
- Team vs solo
- 50% Team / 50% Solo
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- High
- Travel
- Frequent local travel to death scenes
- Schedule flexibility
- Rigid
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $78,000
- Entry-level
- $50,000 - $65,000
- Senior
- $95,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 6% (average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Very Low
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate to 50-90% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- $30,000 - $50,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Forensic Photography
- Crime Scene Documentation
- Interviewing Techniques
- Medical Terminology
- Evidence Collection
- Report Writing
Soft skills
- Attention to Detail
- Critical Thinking
- Empathy
- Communication
- Problem-Solving
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Bachelor's Degree
- Licensing
- Varies by State
- Years to mid-career
- 4-6 years
- Years to senior
- 8-12 years
- Career switching
- Hard
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Medical Examiner Investigator
- Senior Medical Examiner Investigator
- Forensic Services Manager
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 10% to low risk due to critical thinking and on-site investigation
- AI disruption risk
- Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.5/10
- Meaning
- 4.2/10
- Work-life balance
- 2.8/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- High