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Forensic pathology…

Hey guys, ever since watching Dexter I've wanted to become a forensic pathologist. I know that it isn't gonna be like it is on CSI or Dexter but I was wondering what I need to become a forensic pathologist, like what uni course would I do? I'm doing triple science GCSE atm and for A levels I'm probably gonna choose chemistry and biology but from then on… I haven't got a clue what I need to do. Do I need to go med school? Or should I do biochemistry? I've got no idea!
Any responses would be great, oh and I'm from the UK :biggrin:


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Democracy
20
Original post by Olly G
Hey guys, ever since watching Dexter I've wanted to become a forensic pathologist. I know that it isn't gonna be like it is on CSI or Dexter but I was wondering what I need to become a forensic pathologist, like what uni course would I do? I'm doing triple science GCSE atm and for A levels I'm probably gonna choose chemistry and biology but from then on… I haven't got a clue what I need to do. Do I need to go med school? Or should I do biochemistry? I've got no idea!
Any responses would be great, oh and I'm from the UK :biggrin:


Posted from TSR Mobile


You can work in forensics or you can be a forensic pathologist:

If you want to work in a forensics lab, carry out lab analyses etc then you'd need to do a degree in forensic science or something related like biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, etc. You don't need to be a doctor to do this.

If you want to be a forensic pathologist i.e. the person who performs the post-mortem and diagnoses the cause of death then you will need to qualify as a doctor first. This will involve doing A levels to include biology and chemistry, a 5/6 year medical degree, two years working as a junior foundation doctor and then specialising in histopathology (and later you can subspecialise in forensics).

More info on becoming a forensic pathologist here:

http://www.rcpath.org/careers/forensic-pathology
If you want to be a pathologist, contact your local coroners officer (via the Police) and request the opportunity to attend a couple of post-mortems.

I have been to a few through work. If you specifically want to enter that field, it would be well worth seeing if you have the stomach for it first. The sights, and the smells in particular, can take a bit of getting used to.

Note: it is NOTHING like Dexter...


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Olly G
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Yeah I think I wanna work in the lab tbh rather than actually being the guy that cuts up the body and stuff…


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Kinkerz
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Original post by Olly G
Yeah I think I wanna work in the lab tbh rather than actually being the guy that cuts up the body and stuff…

Then you don't want to be a forensic pathologist, rendering your thread title somewhat ironic. You want to be a forensic scientist, of which there are a variety of subtypes and for which the first part of Democracy's post is most pertinent.

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