Medical examiner vs coroner

The differences between medical examiners and coroners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical examiner, becoming a coroner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a medical examiner has an average salary of $156,092, which is higher than the $53,616 average annual salary of a coroner.

The top three skills for a medical examiner include EKG, medical history and vital signs. The most important skills for a coroner are law enforcement agencies, death investigations, and physical evidence.

Medical examiner vs coroner overview

	Medical Examiner	Coroner
Yearly salary	$156,092	$53,616
Hourly rate	$75.04	$25.78
Growth rate	16%	16%
Number of jobs	47,428	111
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	37	46
Years of experience	12	2

Medical examiner vs coroner salary

Medical examiners and coroners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Examiner	Coroner
Average salary	$156,092	$53,616
Salary range	Between $78,000 And $308,000	Between $26,000 And $109,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	Bexar County	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between medical examiner and coroner education

There are a few differences between a medical examiner and a coroner in terms of educational background:

	Medical Examiner	Coroner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Nursing	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Medical examiner vs coroner demographics

Here are the differences between medical examiners' and coroners' demographics:

	Medical Examiner	Coroner
Average age	37	46
Gender ratio	Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0%	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 9.3% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 8.1% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	6%	12%

Differences between medical examiner and coroner duties and responsibilities

Medical examiner example responsibilities.

Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
Perform medical exams such as EKG's, blood work, vitals and review medical history and paperwork with patients.
Assist in DNA case file management.
Train in phlebotomy and OSHA/HIPPA regulatory compliance procedures.
Perform independent thesis research to compare paraffin embed healthy and malignant tissue using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA testing.
Audit income and financial resources of elderly adults and disable applicants to determine financial eligibility for various levels of Medicaid coverage.

Coroner example responsibilities.

Perform DNA extraction, quantitation and PCR amplification
Perform in-depth forensic analysis of Macintosh computer hard drives and prepare expert report for use in ongoing litigation.
Upload to and compare candidate match profiles using the CODIS system.
Perform frozen sectioning for in-surgical consultation.

Medical examiner vs coroner skills

Common medical examiner skills

EKG, 16%
Medical History, 10%
Vital Signs, 8%
Blood Pressure, 7%
Medical Exams, 7%
Death Certificates, 6%

Common coroner skills

Law Enforcement Agencies, 37%
Death Investigations, 37%
Physical Evidence, 18%
Death Scenes, 6%
Death Certificates, 2%