Criminal investigator to coroner
A criminal investigator already meets 29% of what the coroner role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.8/ 100
1 How much of what a coroner is expected to do is already part of a criminal investigator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the coroner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A coroner role treats 3 of its required skills as things a criminal investigator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with legal regulations
- document evidence
- perform forensic examinations
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A coroner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a criminal investigator background worth leading with.
- already held crime scene preservation services
- already held perform forensic examinations information skills
- already held examine crime scenes information skills
- already held document evidence information skills
- already held maintain operational communications communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held comply with legal regulations assisting and caring
All 7 carried skills, including the 3 the coroner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn determine cause of death required
- still to learn carry out an autopsy required
- still to learn compile legal documents required
- optional, not held analyse legal evidence optional
- optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
- optional, not held conduct health related research optional
- optional, not held keep up to date with diagnostic innovations optional
- optional, not held perform toxicological studies optional
- still to learn human anatomy required
- optional, not held diagnostic methods in medical laboratory optional
- optional, not held evidence-based approach in general practice optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- still to learn provide testimony in court hearings required
- optional, not held advise on legal decisions optional
- optional, not held assist police investigations optional
- still to learn maintain work area cleanliness required
- optional, not held follow clinical guidelines optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a coroner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 determine cause of death practise this
- 02 carry out an autopsy practise this
- 03 compile legal documents practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held comply with legal regulations skill
- already held document evidence skill
- already held perform forensic examinations skill
- already held crime scene preservation knowledge
- already held examine crime scenes skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held investigation research methods optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held diagnostic methods in medical laboratory optional
- optional, not held evidence-based approach in general practice optional
- optional, not held advise on legal decisions optional
- optional, not held analyse legal evidence optional
- optional, not held apply scientific methods optional
- optional, not held assist police investigations optional
- optional, not held conduct health related research optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held follow clinical guidelines optional
- optional, not held investigation research methods optional
- optional, not held keep up to date with diagnostic innovations optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
- optional, not held perform toxicological studies optional
19 held skills the coroner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse blood patterns skill
- not needed by the target role assess contamination skill
- not needed by the target role clean crime scenes skill
- not needed by the target role criminal law knowledge
- not needed by the target role criminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role detect finger prints skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate forensic data skill
- not needed by the target role forensic intelligence knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle case evidence skill
- not needed by the target role investigate forgery cases skill
- not needed by the target role perform drug investigations skill
- not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role photograph crime scenes skill
- not needed by the target role present evidence skill
- not needed by the target role promote human rights skill
- not needed by the target role restrict access to crime scene skill
- not needed by the target role undertake inspections skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn human anatomy required
- optional, not held diagnostic methods in medical laboratory optional
- optional, not held evidence-based approach in general practice optional
- optional, not held court procedures optional
- optional, not held investigation research methods optional
- optional, not held pathology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a criminal investigator become a coroner?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A criminal investigator already covers 29% of what a coroner is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 3 of which the coroner role treats as required.
What skills does a criminal investigator need to become a coroner?
6 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is determine cause of death.
How hard is the move from criminal investigator to coroner?
Its learning distance is 62.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.