Allegheny
The Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner (ACOME) offers two unique opportunities to get hands-on experience within a Medical Examiner’s Office and Forensic Laboratory.  The medical student rotation is for those medical students interested in pursuing a career in the field of forensic pathology.  The medical student rotation timeline will be flexible based on the requested term period specified by the applicant, with an expected commitment of 20-40 hours per week.  The Forensic Internship is intended for college students and graduates interested in pursuing a career in a Forensic Laboratory or within Medicolegal Death Investigations. The Forensic Internship is offered on a trimester schedule, with a commitment of a minimum of 10 hours per week to be completed over a 12 week period.
Application Criteria
  • Able to commit to two to three days per week (Tuesday through Friday) with a preferred commitment of 5 hours per day between the hours of 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Thursdays morning (8-12) are mandatory.
  • Covered by College or University’s liability insurance and able to provide documentation of coverage upon award of internship or be covered by independent liability insurance and able to provide documentation of coverage.
  • Background check and drug screen may be required before official award of the internship.


Internship Requirements
  • Attend Orientation meeting and completion and submission of all required internship documentation. (i.e. confidentiality, indemnification, etc.)
  • A minimum of 120 hours over a 12 week period must be completed for successful completion of the internship. If additional hours are specified by the University/College, this must be noted on the application.
  • Attend and participate in a series of lectures and rotations through the operational areas of the office every THURSDAY, morning.  Lectures are provided by ACOME staff on a variety of Medico-Legal and Forensic topics.
  • Prepare and present PowerPoint presentation to ACOME management and staff.
NOTE:  Additional opportunities to present on the research accomplished / presentation given as part of the ACOME Forensic Internship Program may be identified.  All such presentations must be with the approval of ACOME management even if it exceeds the timeline of the internship.  Additional presentation formats include but are not limited to:
  • A poster at a local or national conference
  • Submission of a proposed journal article to an applicable scientific journal
Dauphin
The internship is designed to ultimately benefit both the intern and the Coroner’s Office. Students are afforded the opportunity to gain academic credit, while simultaneously receiving the practical work experience in a forensic setting.
Internships are appropriate for advanced undergraduate or graduate students attending facilities that have a structured, in-house internship program. This way, the internship can be conducted under the joint supervision of an on-site advisor and a school faculty member. Both parties agree on the internships objectives and assignments, while jointly evaluating the intern’s performance during and after their experience.
 An intern functions under the authority of Coroner personnel and is expected to exhibit respectfulness, maturity, and professionalism. As well, an intern is expected to function during autopsies under the auspices of our forensic pathologist. This office encounters many outside agencies (law enforcement, EMS, fire, judicial, public utilities, medical facilities, social services, etc.) within the course of investigations, and an intern is expected to be of a maturity such that they conduct themselves commendably with these agencies. Anything other than a professional presentation, in both dress and behavior, is unacceptable and means for dismissal.
Lycoming
The Lycoming County Coroner’s Office offers an internship program to interested college students.  Due to County Policy, only college students are accepted for internships.  Interested high school students may be chosen to job shadow for one day with staff if schedules permit.  Contact our office for information regarding job shadowing.
See the following requirements to apply for the internship program:
  • Must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Email copy of resume to Kate Nickles, knickles@lyco.org.
  • Once resume is received, our staff will schedule an interview.
  • Drug testing may be completed on each applicant who is offered an internship.
  • Internship sessions are dependent on applicant’s academic schedule.
  • Preference will be given to applicants pursuing careers and/or education in the following fields:
    • Hard sciences- i.e. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc. with interest in forensics
    • Criminology / Criminal Justice
    • Forensic Science
    • Mortuary Arts & Sciences
  • If chosen for internship with coroner’s office, participant must be willing to participate in any and all aspects of the coroner’s office, including, but not limited to:
    • Assisting with administrative duties including answering phones, filing, data entry, etc.
    • Autopsy observation
    • Crime scene investigation alongside deputy coroner/coroner
      • Intern may be on stand by for calls requiring scene investigation, including after-hours operations.
  • Interns will be responsible for maintaining a log of their hours.
  • Interns are operating under Lycoming County Policy and must follow all rules and regulations.  Failure to do so may result in immediate termination of internship.
Montgomery
Currently Suspended
College and graduate school students are afforded the opportunity of participating in a learning experience by working side by side with forensic pathologists, highly trained, experienced forensic technicians and medicolegal death investigators. Interns have the opportunity of observing postmortem examinations and investigations.
Philadelphia
The Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) offers internships in the following units:
  • Bereavement Support Services
  • Fatality Review Program
  • Pathology
  • Toxicology
Interns must be enrolled in a degree program. The MEO only hosts interns from schools that have an official agreement with the City. The school’s representative will confirm eligibility and provide application details. Contact the representative at your school (a professor, academic advisor, or department chair) to find out if your school has an agreement with the City.
We do not accept volunteers to work in any of our units.
Westmoreland
Coroner Internship Program 
Applicants for an internship with the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office must meet the following criteria: 
  • Must be 18 years of age or older and provide the following documents via electronic submission through the application form:
    • Scanned copy of valid driver's license or valid state issued photo identification.
    • Scanned copy of valid health insurance card.
    • Uploaded copy of resume.

      • Preference will be given to individuals pursuing careers and/or education in the following fields:
        • Criminology / Criminal Justice
        • Forensic Science
        • Mortuary Science
        • Law Enforcement
      • Successful applicants must be willing to participate in all aspects and duties of the coroner’s office including, but not limited to:
        • General office duties (answering phones, logging information, data entry, and filing)
        • Scene investigation (general investigations under the supervision of a deputy coroner)
        • Autopsy observation
      • Interns will maintain a log or journal of their experience throughout their internship and submit it to the coroner at the conclusion of their internship.  
      • Internships are conducted during the daylight shift only.  
      • Internships are unpaid.  
National Association of Forensic Autopsy Technicians
​connect@nafat.org
​Published 09/15/2020
Last updated 07/16/2021