Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. There is one vacancy at the Erie County Department of Health. 

Examples of Duties:

An Autopsy Technician is responsible for assisting the physician staff with the performance of autopsies and body processing functions in the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office; 

Receives information on scheduled autopsies; verifies records on bodies; transports bodies from morgue to an autopsy room for examination;

Assists the physician staff with the performance of autopsies including processing bodies (fingerprinting, face shots, undressing bodies, removing personal property, recovering evidence, etc.), preparing autopsy rooms, setting up autopsy tables, eviscerating human bodies, dissecting and weighing organs, documenting findings, labeling of organs and specimens; preservation of cultures; sews up bodies with sutures, sterilizing autopsy instruments and releasing bodies to funeral homes;

Takes photographs as determined by medical examiner;

Receives telephone requests for case reporting and/or investigation;

Removes bodies from tables to morgue for storage; disposes parts as authorized;

Processes samples, evidence and personal property, including preparing samples for toxicology and other labs as well as receiving, drying, and releasing evidence and personal property to the appropriate entities;

Processes and maintains inventory; Processes and prepares tissue for microscopic slides; tracks progress of cassettes and slides;

Delivers specimens to toxicology and clinical laboratories;

Maintains the cleanliness of autopsy room; equipment and supplies such as tables, instruments, cabinets, gloves, floors, etc.; sterilizes and cleans equipment and supplies;

Assists with and/or takes x-rays of the deceased;

Provides court testimony as required, including pre-trial meetings and preparation;

Responds to declared mass fatality incidents or public health emergencies;

Performs death investigations and related duties including, but not limited to, filing case reports, obtaining/transporting records and/or samples, downloading photos, and completing case investigation follow-ups

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test: 

A.) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college with a Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or forensic, clinical laboratory, natural science or a related field, supplemented by the satisfactory completion
of an approved internship course or program consisting of a minimum of 120 hours (two semester credit hours) from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college which included practical hands on experience at a
Medical Examiner’s office; or

B.) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college with an Associate’s degree in criminal justice or forensic, clinical laboratory, natural science or a related field and two (2) years of experience in
forensic investigations or in a Medical Examiner’s office; or:

C.) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A), (B), and (C).

Notes:

NOTES:  1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the experience requirements. 2. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas: 

1. Evaluating conclusions in light of known facts

These questions will consist of a set of facts and a conclusion. You must decide if the conclusion is proved by the facts, disproved by the facts or if the facts are not sufficient to prove or disprove the conclusion. The questions will not be specific to a particular field.

2. General laboratory principles and practices

These questions test for knowledge of such areas as care and handling of toxic/dangerous materials; simple first aid and safety procedures; the metric system; simple laboratory calculations; care and use of laboratory glassware and equipment; and common laboratory procedures.

3. Basic human anatomy and physiology

These questions test for knowledge of basic human anatomy and physiology relevant for a forensic setting and may include the location and function of various organs and anatomical features and anatomical terms.

4. Record keeping

These questions test for accuracy and attention to detail in keeping laboratory test records. The candidate will be asked to transfer information from laboratory test request forms onto a test log form, and then to locate and interpret required information from the test log form. No knowledge of any particular record-keeping system is required.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.