The Medical Examiner's Office is seeking a Medical Examiner's Investigator to work a varying schedule that will include occasional days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office provides death investigative and forensic autopsy services to Hennepin, Dakota, and Scott counties, as well as additional Minnesota and Wisconsin counties on a referral basis. We serve a population of over 1.7 million residents covering approximately 1,500 square miles. Our goal is to assist families, law enforcement agencies, and the legal system by determining a scientifically unbiased and logical cause and manner of death. The office is a National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) accredited agency with a staff of board-certified forensic pathologists and an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited forensic pathology fellowship program.
Current Hennepin County employees who refer a candidate hired into an open competitive position may be eligible for a $500referral bonus. For more information visit the employee referral page.
Location and hours: This position is located at the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office at 14250 County Road 62, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55345. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office is a 24/7 facility operating seven days a week including weekdays, weekends, and holidays. Evening and weekend shift differentials apply for qualifying hours. There is no public transportation to this facility. This position will travel within the seven county metro areas. New Employee Orientation (NEO) for all new benefit-earning employees is in-person in downtown Minneapolis. Details about NEO will be provided upon hire.
About this position type: This is a full-time, benefit-earning position. This position is internally classified as a Medical Examiner's Investigator. Click here to view the job classification specification.
In this position, you will:
Conduct investigative activities within the prescribed statutory limits, departmental policies, regulations, directives, and guidelines for medicolegal death investigators; this will include scene visits and scene reenactments, including photography and specimen collection for the purpose of gathering and developing information relevant to the death investigation; interview individuals and agencies to obtain information relevant to a decedent’s background and circumstances of death.
Identify, gather, inventory, and transport decedents, personal effects, and evidence from the location of death or other relevant location(s).
Prepare comprehensive investigative reports including circumstances and preliminary determinations of cause of death and manner of death on all reportable deaths; request, review, and prepare supplemental reports on medical records, law enforcement, EMS, and other ancillary reports relevant to the investigation.
Perform investigative duties to identify, locate, and notify the decedent’s legal representative(s); communicate with legal representatives of the decedent, funeral directors, attorneys, medical personnel, law enforcement, and others in matters relating to the death investigation.
Identify, locate, and gather information to ensure decedent identification is confirmed by department policy and scientific methods; order appropriate radiographic exams.
Refer decedents for tissue and eye donation according to department procedure.
Participate in daily case review, presenting case data including circumstantial details, preliminary manner and cause, notification of the legal representatives, identification, and donor status.
Review and approve cremation authorizations.
Assist with intake processing of decedents, including fingerprint collection.
Need to have:
One of the following:
Bachelor's degree or higher in forensic science, mortuary science, criminal justice, laboratory science, allied sciences, or related field and two years or more of experience working in a medical examiner's office or related field.
Six years or more of experience working in a medical examiner's office or related field.
Ability to lift and carry up to 100 pounds 4-8 times a day with or without a reasonable accommodation.
Nice to have:
Experience:
Handling bodies in a morgue, mortuary, and/or similar setting.
Gathering and analyzing information and writing reports.
Ability to:
Remain calm, professional, decisive, and accurate in situations which are often chaotic and with people who are emotionally distraught.
Communicate with sensitivity and discretion, with a variety of individuals representing diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Read and interpret medical records.
Knowledge of:
Human anatomy, physiology, and forensic pathology.
Medical terminology.
About the department:
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office under the leadership of Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew M. Baker, provides death investigative services and forensic autopsy services for deaths that occur in Hennepin County, Dakota County, Scott County, and other counties across the Midwest.
About Hennepin County: Hennepin is the largest county government organization in Minnesota. Our employees work every day to improve the health, safety and quality of life for our residents and communities. All of our jobs align with our mission to serve residents through transformative services that reduce disparities, eliminate inequities, and create opportunity for all and our vision of a community where all people are healthy, all people are valued, and all people thrive.
Our employees receive a combination of competitive benefits and positive workplace culture not found at other organizations. This includes meaningful work that impacts our community, competitive pay, work-life balance, a variety of benefits and opportunities to grow. Learn more at The Bridge (login as Guest). Hennepin County envisions an organization where our commitment to diversity and the reduction of disparities is fundamental in providing excellent service to our community. Your future. Made here.
This position will have access to systems or other documentation that contains HIPAA data.
This posting may be used to fill current and future vacancies.
Watch this video for application best practices and tips. Invitations to interview will be based upon an assessment of education and experience. Final candidates may be required to pass a driver's license check, complete a drug test that may include testing for cannabis, and/or a criminal background check.
