I'm not currently working in histology so that I can complete a Master's degree but have volunteered to give a presentation at the next Washington State Histology meeting in May. The tentative title of the presentation is "The role of the histotech in death investigations." I parlayed my histology training into morgue work and then death scene investigations. I am now a Diplomat with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigation.

 

I know that there are very few histotechs working solely for a coroner or medical examiner. When I was a histology intern at Harborview Medical Center, they let me learn to cut on the blocks from medical examiner cases because they were less important than the clinical stuff. I would love to hear from histotechs who cut medical examiner/coroner blocks and who have some suggestions on what I should include in my talk. Any suprising findings due to routine histology? Any cases that benefited from the specialized knowledge of a histotech? Perhaps Congo Red cracked the case? Has the experience from CAP inspections helped in gaining NAME accreditation? (National Association of Medical Examiners) Any suggestions would be really appreciated, even if you don't have forensic experience to draw on.

 

Thanks so much, Sandra Ellis