LMP2207H: Practicum in Forensic Pathology

For Pathologists' Assistant students in the MHsc in Laboratory Medicine program.

A 0.5 FCE practical hands-on training course taking place at the Forensic Services and Coroners Complex in North Toronto.

You will spend 4 full days a week (7 hours per day) at the facility for 6 weeks.

The principal goal of this six-week rotation is to impart you with all the necessary knowledge and technical skills to safely and effectively assist with performing autopsies in community practice.

You will work in a diverse and multidisciplinary team assisting in performing coronial autopsies in the largest death investigation system in North America.

You will be exposed to a broad spectrum of case types ranging from sudden natural death to polytrauma. We will teach you through didactic, small group and one-on-one sessions with graduated technical responsibility starting with observation, followed by stepwise addition of technical skills for the efficient performance of a complete autopsy.

We will cover the tasks associated with performing autopsies including setup, safe body transfer, cleaning, photography, preparation for release as well as specimen collection and handling.

Course instructors

Course co-coordinator (practicum)

Dr. Michael Pickup

michael.pickup@ontario.ca

The course coordinator:

  • develops the curriculum
  • facilitates lectures that supplement the applied practical work
  • monitors quality assurance for the course
  • evaluates student’s knowledge and technical skills at the completion of the course
  • receives teaching and evaluation assistance from experienced staff pathologist’s assistants in the applied parts of the curriculum.

Course co-coordinator (academic half day)

Dr. Christopher Sherman

christopher.sherman@sunnybrook.ca