Forensic physicians
Our forensic physicians interpret medical evidence from victims of crime and perpetrators. They also need to meet certain requirements to practice.
As a forensic physician at Forensic and Scientific Services (FSS) you'll focus on how medicine interacts with the law. You'll collect medical evidence from victims and perpetrators of crime and interpret the evidence. You'll also communicate the findings to police, legal officers and the courts. The scope of you work may include:
- injury interpretation
- clinical toxicology
- traffic medicine
- custodial medicine
- coronial investigations.
Qualification and registration requirements
To practice as a forensic physician in Queensland you must be a Fellow of either the:
You must also have a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery or Doctor of Medicine and:
- a Master’s degree in forensic medicine if you're a doctor
- be prepared to enrol in the Master's degree if you're a trainee.
You'll also need several years experience working in acute areas of medicine such as emergency and intensive care.
Opportunities
We employ forensic physicians at the Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit and within our hospitals and health services.
We advertise our forensic physician vacancies on Smart Jobs and Seek.
What duties you'll undertake
Working in an FSS role, you'll:
- attend victims of crime for the purpose of forensic examinations
- attend alleged perpetrators of crime for the purpose of forensic examinations
- provide medical advice to police, the Coroner, and the Office of the Department of Public Prosecutions
- give evidence in court on clinical forensic medicine matters
- provide clinical support for police detainees.
More information
You can find out more about forensic physicians on the Australasian College of Legal Medicine and Royal College of Pathologists Australasia websites.