Career Journal

Crime Scene Investigator

Education/Training required:
o Bachelors Degree for entry
o Moderate-term on-the-job training to become competent
o (optional) a major in Criminal Justice
Responsibilities and Daily Activities
o At crime scenes, Crime Scene Investigators typically do the
following:
Walk through the scene to determine what and how to
collect evidence
Take photographs of the crime scene and its
contents/evidence
Make sketches of the crime scene
Keep written notes of all observations
Collect any physical evidence, including weapons,
fingerprints, and body fluids
Preserve all evidence carefully before transferring it to a
crime lab
Reconstruct crime scenes by carefully studying scientific
tests performed on evidence
May look at photographs of blood splatter patterns
May use microscopes and other laboratory tools/materials
Salary Range
o The salary of a Crime Scene Investigator ranges from about
$51,570 per year to $84,980 a year, making an average of
$26.76 an hour.
Sources:
Forensic Science Technicians. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06,
2016, from
https://www.careerwise.mnscu.edu/careers/careerDetail?id=3
Office of Science Education - LifeWorks - Technician, Forensic
Science. (n.d.). Retrieved September 06, 2016, from

http://nihlifeworks.org/Alphabetical+List/Technician,
+Forensic+Science25da.html?OpenDocument
Self-Reflection:
o The person involved in this career relates to what we are
studying because we are currently trying to solve the mystery of
Anna Garcias death. This means that, in a way, we are acting
as Crime Scene Investigators; we are trying to find evidence to
divulge how Anna Garcia died. Crime Scene Investigators also
take part in much of what we are doing now, like how we
sketched the crime scene or how we analyzed Annas blood
splatter patterns.

Medical Examiner
Education/Training Required:
o Bachelors degree
o Medical school for 4 years
o Pathology residency
o Forensic pathology fellowship
Responsibilities and daily activities
o Daily activities for a medical examiner include the following:
Investigating circumstances around the death in a crime
scene
Performing autopsies
Completing/ordering lab tests and reviewing the test
results
Determining a persons cause of death
Completing the death certificate
Salary Range
o The salary of a medical examiner typically ranges from about
$91,000 to $187,000
Sources:
What Is a Medical Examiner's Salary Range? (n.d.). Retrieved
September 01, 2016, from http://work.chron.com/medical-examinerssalary-range-3884.html

(n.d.). Forensic Medical Examiner Salary, Career & Education

Requirements. Retrieved September 01, 2016, from
http://www.forensicscolleges.com/careers/medical-examiner
Self-Reflection:
o The person involved in being a medical examiner would relate
to what we are learning/studying in class because being a
medical examiner involves researching the cause of a persons
death, something I feel we are certainly doing in the biomedical
program. I personally believe that biomedical would prepare a
student well for a career involved in medical examination.