Medical Examiner Internship Program
Forensic Laboratory

Program Overview

This internship program provides an opportunity to explore various facets of the Medical Examiner's Office, Forensic Laboratory. The Forensic Laboratory is an integration of tradition Forensic sections and an Environmental section. The Forensic disciplines include Toxicology, Controlled Substances, Forensic Biology (Serology/DNA), Latent Prints, Trace Evidence, Firearms/Toolmarks, Crime Scene Investigation and Evidence/Case Management. The Environmental Chemistry section provides analytical support in the areas of air quality, water quality and food product tampering.

The basic philosophy of this internship program is one of a “work-study” model.

The internship is established on three levels:

• Level I – provides practical experience to community college students in Health Career programs.
• Level II – a “basic” level requiring only a modest level of experience/training (College).
• Level III – a level where the intern has more advanced education and more specific training in some specific relevant discipline (Masters/PhD).

This internship is a "hands-on" experience where you take from this program what you put into it. It must be clear that the intern will be expected to make some contribution to the efforts of the facility, in exchange for the chance to learn by either exposure or direct contribution.

Duties and Responsibilities

During the internship, the intern will work on assigned project(s) under the supervision of laboratory personnel.  The project may be working on a technique to improve the laboratories capability in an analytical area, analyzing a specific evidence type to develop a database or assisting with the daily operations.  Projects may require literature search, formation of a theory and development of the analytical technique.  The intern will present the results of the investigation or experimentation in written form and/or oral presentation to appropriate laboratory staff.

Interns will be afforded the opportunity to explore all facets of the Medical Examiner's Office, including exposure to post mortem examinations with our pathologists and technicians, histology and forensic photo documentation. Level I students internship will focus on the information gathering and documentation by the Forensic Investigators, the human anatomy and the examination by Forensic Pathologists, Histology techniques, medical records and transcription, Toxicology, proper evidence handling and the chain of custody.

Additional Requirements for Forensic Laboratory Internship

• Applicants for Level III internships will document more advanced education and/or relevant experience that is directly pertinent to the desired position.
• Additional qualifications will be determined separately by the individual departments as their specific needs and capacities are at the time of the application process.