How To Become A Nurse Coroner

Nurse coroners are forensic nurses that are also known as deputy coroners, nurse investigators, medical examiner nurses, and nurse death investigators.

In the following guide, we'll show you what you need to become a nurse coroner and why you would want to.

What is a Nurse Coroner?

A nurse coroner is a forensic nurse who works closely with the coroner to determine the cause and time of death. They also serve as death investigators and can help to determine whether there was any foul play.

Some of the specific duties of a nurse coroner include:

• Take photographs of the body
• Examine the body
• Inform the next of kin
• Identify the time and cause of death
• Take tissue samples
• Take blood samples
• Interview witnesses and family members
• Assist crime scene detectives
• Help to transport the body to the morgue
• Assist the pathologist with the autopsy

How Do You Become a Nurse Coroner?

If you have decided that forensic nursing is for you and you're ready to take the first steps toward becoming a nurse coroner, check out the steps below.

Step One: Get Your Nursing Degree

See what nursing schools are available and start thinking about your degree!

There are a couple of options here: an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN).

The former will take you two years to complete and leave the door open for a bachelor's degree while the latter takes 4 years.

Step Two: Get Your Registered Nurse License

As soon as you graduate from nursing school, you can start thinking about the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN). This standardized exam will give you a registered nursing license upon completion. It's essential if you want to become a forensic nurse and shouldn't be too difficult for dedicated students.

The exam has an allotted time of 5 hours and includes a couple of optional breaks. There is a maximum of 145 questions to complete and it will take you through a variety of different topics, including:

• Safe and Effective Care Management
• Physiological Integrity
• Psychosocial Integrity
• Health Promotion and Maintenance

The exam costs $200.

Step Three: Acquire Some Experience

Most forensic nurse employers prefer their nurses to have relevant experience. It shows that you know how to apply everything you have learned and are ready.

To make life easier when applying for high-paying forensic nursing positions, get as much experience as you can. This experience should be relevant to your chosen field.

Step Four: Consider Applying for an Advanced Degree

At this point, you're a qualified and licensed RN and you're ready to start looking for work as a forensic nurse.

There are some major certifications that you can acquire, but the most important ones relate to sexual assault nurse examiners, as opposed to nurse coroners. Any relevant forensic nursing certifications you can find are worth taking to boost your knowledge and CV, but the best thing you can do is apply for a master's degree or doctoral degree.

These options are available for forensic nursing and will allow you to take things to another level. It means you can work in research and teaching fields, as well as psychiatric nursing.

However, while these degrees will certainly help you to get a job and could increase your options and salary, there are no guarantees. What's more, you'll be able to apply for nurse coroner positions even without these advanced nursing degrees.

How Many Years Does it Take to Become a Nurse Coroner?

It will take between 2 and 4 years to qualify as a forensic nurse, after which you can choose your area of focus.

What Type of Nurse Works in the Morgue?

Morgue assistants and nurse coroners work in the morgue. There are also other types of forensic nurses that work around crime scenes in general, including a sexual assault nurse examiner, which assists victims of sexual assault.

Should I Become a Forensic Nurse?

Forensic nursing isn't for everyone and becoming a nurse coroner requires a very specific set of skills, as well as a strong stomach.

If you are observant, perseverant, and have good critical thinking skills, you could be made for the field of forensic nursing. It's also a good specialization for nurses who enjoy investigating deaths and assisting with criminal proceedings.

What's more, it's a field that has a lot of opportunities for personal and professional growth, as well as one that is becoming more and more essential.

After all, many nurses want to help the living and they spend their days preventing them from being sent to the morgue. Combined with the ongoing nursing shortage, it means that there will likely be a strong need for forensic nurses in the coming years.

Furthermore, as the population grows, so will the number of deaths.

Just take a look at the following table, which lists the total number of deaths from uncommon causes like homicide to common causes like cancer and heart diseases, all of which you can expect to encounter as a nurse coroner:

State	Homicide	Flu and Pneumonia	Heart Disease	Cancer
Alabama	433	1,011	12,869	9,913
Alaska	37	44	627	732
Arizona	532	1,297	10,966	9,820
Arkansas	219	886	7,575	6,361
California	2,540	7,552	64,916	54,732
Colorado	182	666	6,307	6,395
Connecticut	107	956	7,650	7,052
Delaware	55	162	2,031	1,799
Florida	998	2,802	46,279	40,592
Georgia	649	1,596	16,781	14,358
Hawaii	25	241	2,319	2,169
Idaho	45	289	2,450	2,368
Illinois	866	2,949	28,226	24,250
Indiana	368	1,317	14,542	12,796
Iowa	44	896	7,437	6,453
Kansas	106	730	5,960	5,428
Kentucky	222	1,021	10,782	9,505
Louisiana	592	996	11,008	9,249
Maine	22	352	2,941	3,218
Maryland	576	1,194	11,594	10,371
Massachusetts	178	1,935	13,280	13,182
Michigan	677	1,950	25,128	20,094
Minnesota	139	846	7,926	8,823
Mississippi	254	645	8,637	6,065
Missouri	417	1,527	14,974	12,419
Montana	33	213	1,855	1,956
Nebraska	44	370	3,640	3,355
Nevada	190	454	5,094	4,238
New Hampshire	19	273	2,530	2,549
New Jersey	427	1,637	20,655	17,171
New Mexico	152	353	3,435	3,141
New York	901	5,521	51,985	35,556
North Carolina	661	1,830	17,765	16,724
North Dakota	11	172	1,512	1,302
Ohio	630	2,416	29,003	24,702
Oklahoma	214	948	10,043	7,446
Oregon	102	614	6,791	7,326
Pennsylvania	749	3,068	36,207	29,616
Rhode Island	32	253	3,005	2,292
South Carolina	337	771	9,359	8.652
South Dakota	22	241	1,776	1,612
Tennessee	495	1,588	14,946	12,995
Texas	1,501	3,654	40,152	34,291
Utah	63	333	2,872	2,520
Vermont	12	97	1,234	1,202
Virginia	490	1,464	14,192	13,877
Washington	231	927	10,985	11,048
West Virginia	93	458	5,538	4,617
Wisconsin	236	1,268	11,842	10,943
Wyoming	16	119	952	886

*Information taken from the CDC (1) (2) (3) (4).

How Much Do Nurse Coroners Make?

Although the US Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't include specific salary details for nurse coroners, it does include data on registered nurses and suggests an average of $75,330 per year and $36.22 per hour (source).

However, your salary is largely dependent on your state. The average in California, for instance, is $120,560 while the average in South Dakota is just $60,960.