Job Description
Duties and Requirements Click to read more
Duties
Job Duties and Responsibilities
- Respond to death scenes in a timely manner, often on an on-call basis for a specific area especially for unexpected deaths. Perform detailed inspection and appropriate photographs of the body and surrounding area.
- Make presumptive identification and take steps to facilitate positive identification.
- Obtain demographics, and medical and social history by performing interviews of neighbors/friends, family, nursing staff, or primary physician including interview family and providing support in times of grief.
- Make preliminary determination of cause and manner of death at scene, determine if forensic autopsy is warranted, and assumption or declination of jurisdiction and confer with pathologist as needed.
- Assess body position, weapon position, wound types, physical postmortem changes and other pertinent factors; evaluate for consistency with scene and decedent’s reported history. Ensure decedent’s private property is secure prior to vacating death scene.
- Photograph and accurately document scene and circumstances. Provide concise and thorough written reports documenting investigation and findings, including photos and sketches as needed.
- Collect, inventory and package property/evidence to be removed from the scene, maintaining strict chain of custody.
- Coordinate and interact with all appropriate law enforcement and other investigative agencies on scene in a professional and courteous manner.
- Maintain a high level of confidentiality.
- Provide leadership, coaching, and/or mentoring to a subordinate group as assigned.
Requirements
Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Needed
- Bachelor’s degree and at least two years of job-related experience.
- In lieu of the required education, an equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted on a year-for-year basis.
- Valid driver’s license and vehicle available for business use.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Needed
- Degree in Physical or Social Sciences or Criminal Justice or related field.
- Demonstrated ability to maintain high degree of confidentiality.
- Demonstrated skill and ability to investigate, collect, interpret and report information regarding: death scenes (interviews, photographic documentation, specimen procurement devices); medical history (diagnoses, diagnostics, intervention, therapeutic accidents, prognoses, medical reference materials).
- Demonstrated skill and ability to effectively communicate and respond to; grieving/highly distraught individuals, medical community, law enforcement, public safety agencies, funeral homes, community.
- Demonstrated ability to organize and manage multiple activities while maintaining a high degree of precision.
- Knowledge of pharmacological and medical terminology and disease processes helpful.
Physical Demands and Work Conditions
- Laboratory or morgue environment, indoor and outdoor field work sites based on assignment.
- Vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus, such as to work on computers. Ability to see colors, shades, and brightness.
- Hearing abilities required for general and phone communication, signals, and machine sounds.
- Ability to detect, discern, and tolerate a wide range of scents required for safety and performance of essential duties.
- Cognitive abilities required include problem solving, prioritization of tasks, short- and long-term memory, interpreting and understanding written documents, and general mathematical skills.
- Assignments require several hours of varied physical activity in addition to viewing a computer screen, sitting at a desk, or walking/standing.
- Physical activity may include repeated bending, stooping, reaching, frequent wrist and finger manipulation to complete computer work and handle medical equipment with a high degree of accuracy, and occasionally pushing carts weighing over 300 lbs.
- Regular lifting of 100 lbs. or more.
- Equipment used includes computers, phones, and standard office equipment in addition to Forensic equipment depending on assignment.
- Forensic equipment may include but is not limited to syringes, scalpels, needles, bone saws, medical imaging equipment, and personal protective equipment.
- Additional physical/mental requirements that occur may not be listed above, but are inherent in performing the position's essential functions.
- Occasional travel to other county work sites as needed.
- Travel between work sites may require driving a county vehicle and/or a personal vehicle.
- Exposure to bodily fluids, infectious agents, radiation, toxic or caustic chemicals, and other hazards is possible while performing essential duties.
- Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
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Job Tags
Temporary work, Outdoor,