Directory of Autopsy Services

Primary Responsibilities

The Director supervises all autopsy and morgue operations involving a wide variety of pediatric and adult cases originating at healthcare facilities throughout North Texas. These are hospital or natural disease cases with next-of kin autopsy consent, which do not fall under the jurisdiction of a medical examiner system, or have been reported and released by the medical examiner.

Current workload averages 50-60 cases per year, but in the past there have been up to 120 cases per year. The cases are generally quite complicated, and there is always the potential for subsequent litigation; therefore, forensic training and certification is considered highly desirable. Special training or experience in pediatric and cardiovascular pathology would also be highly beneficial.

The pathologist generally works from 8-5, Monday through Friday. Autopsies are not currently performed on the weekend, except under unusual situations. The pathologist is available to field question and provide direction to the on-call pathology residents; but the cases are usually held until Monday. Each day is a composite of autopsies, microscopic slide review, report writing, resident instruction, conference preparation (mortality and morbidity, etc.) and scholarly activity. The incoming pathologist is also expected to assist in completion of our current backlog of overdue cases. A special interest and willingness to participate in resident education is essential.

The Director also assists the hospital chaplains in obtaining a valid and accurate autopsy consent and provides additional guidance in resolving often difficult legal issues which commonly arise. The Director is also responsible for maintenance of facilities for the handling and storage of all deceased patients, ensuring adequate space and temperature requirements (including cases in which no autopsy is to be performed).

The primary work along with the evisceration, tissue dissection, slide preparation, and report generation is initially performed by autopsy technicians and a corps of approximately 18 pathology residents, and the director supervises and directly participates in these activities, ensuring a rich educational experience and the ultimate completion of an accurate and complete report within CAP turnaround requirements and guidelines.

In addition to the routine autopsy work, the Director and the residents participate in several conference presentations, including several different departmental mortality and morbidity conferences.

Also, the director is encouraged to collaborate and participate with the pathology residents in the production scholarly work, including case reports, larger case series and other studies.

This position is to replace our current full-time director of autopsy services who is nearing retirement.

Our main departmental goal is to provide answers to the difficult questions which may surround a death. Such information often provides peace and closure to families in crisis and continues to inform clinical decisions, even in our era of precision medicine.