Physician Specialist

Physician Specialist

Conducts full forensic autopsies or external body examinations on decedents brought to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner pursuant to MGL Chapter 38 in order to investigate the cause and manner of death in unexpected, violent, or suspicious deaths. Principal accountabilities include:

• Performing forensic autopsies or external body examinations on bodies brought to the OCME in order to determine the cause and manner of death.
• Reviewing reports of death received from hospitals, police agencies, and private physicians in order to determine jurisdiction of cases.
• Performing cremation viewing of bodies for certifications, pursuant to Chapter 38, Section 14, as amended, as needed.
• Conducting on-site (scene) death investigations to gather appropriate data and information surrounding a case, as needed.
• Conducting microscopic examinations as deemed necessary of specimens, tissues, organs, fluids, blood, etc., to determine irregular conditions which might have contributed to death.
• Preparing autopsy and external body examination reports of findings for issuance to individuals legally entitled to receive them.
• Requesting additional medical tests on assigned cases as deemed necessary to the determination of cause, manner and circumstances of a death, subject to the review of the Chief Medical Examiner or his/her designee.
• Coordinating the forensic identification of the decedent.
• Preparing certificates of death and determining when bodies may be released.
• Reviewing current forensic and medical literature as appropriate in each individual case assigned.
• Instructing students and residents rotating through the OCME and providing lectures as necessary.
• Providing competent expert testimony in the courtroom as required.
• Being available and responsive when serving as the medical examiner on-call for a particular OCME jurisdiction to determine if cases referred to the OCME shall be accepted/declined.
• Performing other related duties as assigned by the Chief Medical Examiner or his/her designee.

Minimum entrance requirements: Applicants must have at least five years of full-time or equivalent part-time, professional experience as a registered physician three years of which must have been in a specialized field such as pediatrics, geriatrics, oncology, endocrinology, neurology or infectious disease. Special requirements include current and valid registration as a physician under the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine and certification by the American Board of Medical Specialties in area of specialization.

Comprehensive benefits are offered when you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, including an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future. An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law.