Forensic Pathologist Salary - How Much Can You Expect To Earn
What's the career ladder like for a forensic pathologist? An even more burning question is: what is the forensic pathology salary you can expect? If you're looking at a medical career and would want to go on a path different from healing, but rather finding answers to questions that will help solve crimes, then this is an alternative occupation to consider.
Studying Death Is not Cheap
Unless you've had some brush with death that necessitated an investigation, you probably aren't aware of medical examiners and the role they play in the area of law enforcement. They're the guys who conduct autopsies to determine the cause of death, with the victim's body as evidence. From the fluids and tissues he finds there, as well as any telltale signs of what aren't part of the human anatomy, he pretty much determines what happened to the body being examined.
Unless you're comfortable working with corpses on a regular basis, then you probably won't be suited for this job. Aside from good training from forensic pathology schools, extraordinary motivation is necessary to become a forensic pathologist. Too bad because the forensic pathology salary - if you're working in the federal public health service - is in the range of $75,000 to $120,000 annually or even higher.
Working with bodily fluids, human tissues, decaying bodies while solving puzzlings can be pretty gruesome so the relatively high compensation is justifiable. Most likely, the remains you will examine have been through some form of trauma, mutilation or have been infested by insects. Your knowledge is invaluable, your expertise worth every penny. Especially because there are not many people wishing to pursue this career.
If the law enforcement agency is a big organization, there is a chief medical examiner, who supervises several other medical examiners. This is perhaps the pinnacle of your career should you go the criminal justice route.
What's the maximum forensic pathology salary you can make? Around $200,000, depending on your education and training, years of experience and the facility you work for. It is also determined by your locality. The high pay is also to offset long hours, stress and even the psychological impact it will have on your life having to deal with death on a daily basis.
What Career Options Are There for Forensic Pathology
The medical examiner is perhaps the most popular among forensic pathology careers. But there are other options you may want to consider and specialize in:
Fingerprint specialists or Latent print examiners - Focused on fingerprints. They are assigned to cover crime scenes, searing for fingerprints in the scene itself or from other physical evidence. Sometimes, even bodies have prints on them that could point to a possible suspect. Salary range: $30,000 to $150,000
Forensic Toxicologists - Tasked to determine if alcohol, drugs or other chemical substances present in bodies being examined that could lead to the cause of death and possible perpetrator. A specialty in chemistry and toxicology is required for this job. Salary range: $55,000 to $81,000
Forensic Chemists - The clues to crime are everywhere: drugs, glass, soil. And it's the forensic chemist's job to sift through them to catch the criminal and bring them to justice. Salary Range: $35,000 to $90,000
Firearm and Toolmark Forensics - While there are other means to kill, firearms are still common. And there are now means to obtain information about bullets, casing and shells and how they can help catch the killer. This is one invaluable specialty you can concentrate on. $24,000 to $85,000.
Where to Start
It'll take at least 10 years before you can finally begin earning the lucrative forensic pathology salary. The traditional route is earn either a Biology degree, a Doctor of Medicine or a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree to start your journey towards becoming a forensic pathologist. And then you need a residency as pathologist that takes another four to five years.
Thanks to technology, there just might be another way for you to join the exciting world of forensic pathology in less time and cost. There are now online forensic pathology schools that can provide you with the training you need.
Or you could start as forensic science technician and with your exposure to this line of work have been encouraged to pursue studies that will lead you to become a forensic pathologist. Experience, of course, in a related field, can be given due credit when you train to become a forensic pathologist.
You'll need both the personality, qualifications and training to pursue this line of career, which could potentially earn you a rewarding forensic pathology salary.
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