Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Educational Opportunities

The OCME has teaching affiliations with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Pathology Residency program, the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, the Franklin Pierce University Physician Assistant program, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Physician Assistant program. Pathology residents complete their required forensic pathology training at the OCME. Medical students and physician assistant students from any institution may also elect a forensic pathology rotation.

Medical Student Rotations

The OCME offers 2-4 week rotations for third and fourth year allopathic and osteopathic medical students. Opportunities available to medical students include:

Observing autopsies and participating in selected autopsies
Accompanying investigators to death scenes
Accompanying pathologists to deposition or trial testimony
Touring the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory

Medical students are required to prepare a formal presentation on a relevant topic of their choice to be presented to the OCME staff at the conclusion of their rotation.

College Internships

The OCME accepts a limited number of college students for unpaid internships throughout the year. Interns must be at least 18 years of age and must be enrolled in a post-secondary educational program in a relevant field of study (criminal justice, forensic science, biology, anthropology, etc.). Applicants are required to submit a resume, appear for a personal interview, consent to a criminal background check, and provide a letter of recommendation from an instructor or professor at their institution. Applicants who are selected for an internship must also sign a confidentiality statement.

Interns are involved with a variety of tasks and have many learning opportunities, including:

Autopsy observation
Data projects
Office assistance
Educational presentations

Forensic Nursing Rotations

The OCME accepts a limited number of forensic nursing students for unpaid clinical rotations throughout the year. Nurses must be enrolled in a forensic nursing program. Applicants are required to submit a resume, appear for a personal interview, consent to a criminal background check, and provide a letter of recommendation from an instructor or professor at their institution. Applicants who are selected must also sign a confidentiality statement.

Nurses rotating at OCME:

View autopsies to determine etiology of trauma and/or death
Examine results of clinical laboratory testing in relation to cause of death
Use real case studies to understand cause of death, manner of death, and death circumstances
Learn death scene investigation procedures and the steps to follow, including documentation by report and digital images
Understand each person's role in the death investigation and how nurses work collaboratively with pathologists, law enforcement, and families

For more information or to apply for internships or rotations, please contact Kim Fallon at 603-271-1235 ext. 4 or email kim.fallon@doj.nh.gov.