Weekly Reflection Three

My last week was the most exciting and the most sad. While I finished my main project and wrapped up some loose ends, I also spent a fair amount of time in the evidence room. Purging, video taping and sorting prescription bottles from crime scenes was very interesting. I even visited the morgue! As in previous weekly reflections and daily blogs, I have mentioned that all the activities I do may seem quite dull to the average person. However, I find it all fascinating! I know I am only an intern, but I think about the things I could do if I truly were a forensic investigator. I enjoyed being finished with my main project before the end of Senior Project because I had the time to sit down and talk with Kim about how the Medical Examiner's office works. We also discussed her work with the state's disaster plan committee. We looked over numerous cases, including crime scene photos. I have found that over these three weeks I have gained a necessary skill in the field of crime scene investigation - I have learned to desensitize myself. In the first week, I couldn't bear to look at the photos from the aircraft-related fatalities. When Kim and I were looking over the crime scene photos, I was able to really look at what the picture was. Whether it be a body or blood spatter, I was able to stomach it. Kim even suggested I come back in the summer to view an autopsy. I had never known I could be so passionate about something like this. Experiencing the world of a forensic investigator was always a dream to me - it never seemed real. I have watched CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for quite some time now and it's nothing like the real thing. I have been very fortunate to be able to see for myself what it's really like. I am also surprised and a little proud of myself for getting as much out of it as I did. I actually have considered a career in forensic investigation. I have to thank Kim for allowing me to intern at the Medical Examiner's office. I had such an experience and will never forget it! Thanks! 

My Very Sad Last Day...

As Rosie once said, "The office grows on you like a fungus", and it truly does. As the time ticked closer to five this evening, I was getting quite sentimental. While I have only spent three weeks at the Medical Examiner's office, I have started to call it home. My little nook in the file room was my home for senior project. I appreciate all the work I was allowed to do. I have learned so much! Thank you Kim for allowing me to intern in the first place. Thanks Rosie for giving me all the "dirty" jobs in the evidence room. Thanks to Lynn for always greeting me when I arrived at the office. I will miss you! I also want to thank everyone for letting me help you. In doing hands-on projects, I have experienced a very short life as a forensic investigator. When I first started watching CSI, my parents would scoff at the fact that I didn't know the "real thing". From day one of my senior project, I have been able to explain so much and teach others about my experiences. I had never known I would be interested in something so much! While at times I took part in mundane activities, I was always rewarded with a visit to the morgue or a road trip to the state crime lab. I am grateful that I was able to work at the ME's office for my senior project. I will always remember my experiences! Thank you so much everyone! 

Second to Last Day

Today was an especially long day because I didn't have a sports commitment until 5:30. I arrived at the office around 10:00 am and quickly started producing graphs to display the aircraft fatality data. I completed six or seven graphs, which you will be able to see if you come to the Senior Project presentation on Tuesday! Kim had to leave for a meeting, so I helped Rosie purge the stored specimens. "Purging" is getting rid of samples of tissue and blood to make room for the new cases. All evidence is kept in the fridge for one year. After that, all the evidence kept in the fridge is documented and thrown away, save for two vials of blood, preferably from the femoral artery. However, all evidence from homicide cases and some undetermined cases is kept. Further advances in medicine or a case can change the outcome of a case. If the samples have been thrown away, the evidence is not there to go back to. This could result in the case getting dropped. After going through about twenty bags of specimens, I took lunch. When I got back to the office, I went on a "little road trip" with Rosie to the Crime Lab and Toxicology Lab on Hazen Drive. I got to see the front desks of both! While there wasn't much to see at the labs, I witnessed the start of a strict chain of custody. I learned about this in Criminal Justice before the start of my Senior Project. Every piece of evidence needs to be accounted for. This means the date, time, signatures of who dropped the evidence off and who received it. Everything is marked and is documented. Again, if there is an inconsistency in the chain of custody, the evidence is no longer viable in court. Each stage of the chain of custody is taken very seriously! When we got back to the office, Kim had returned and we looked at numerous pictures from previous cases. Gruesome stuff! Around 4:00, Kim left for another meeting and I set to helping Rosie again. At a crime scene, investigators take anything and everything that they think might be pertinent to the case. So, the evidence room is chock full of evidence like prescription bottles and pills. She has five large boxes from autopsied cases and what are called sign-outs, or non-autopsied cases, where the cause of death is quite obvious and no foul play is suspected. I started sorting through the bags of prescriptions, organizing them by case number and bar code. It was 5:00 before I knew it and had to stop my sorting efforts. Tomorrow, my last day at the office, I will finish organizing them and will eventually take pictures to document the evidence. Check in tomorrow to hear about my last day. So sad! I'll miss everyone at the office terribly. I have learned so much in so little time. Hopefully, I will be able to come back soon. Until next time! 

Wednesday

I didn't go into the office today, but I will finish my project strong with a full day Thursday and Friday. I'll let you know how my last two days on the job go. Stay tuned! Later.

Unexpected Treat

I got to see the morgue today! So cool. Kim said that I might be able to come back in the summer to view an autopsy. So exciting! I completed going through the case files again to record all the missing data. I tried to make graphs depicting the data for future office use, but I get easily frustrated with Microsoft applications. Unfortunately, the graph feature was no working correctly and Kim had to call the technical help desk. They didn't have to a chance to get back to her before I left for sports, so that will be a project for Thursday. I'll let you know what happens then. See ya later!

On a lighter note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE!!!

Data Collection

I am now recording some data for the office's references based on the autopsy reports and investigation reports I have photocopied. I am hoping to be done this by tomorrow, so I can complete some other projects before my time is done at the ME's office. I don't want to leave! I enjoy working and in a way experimenting to see if I want to make a career of it. I was also told that if I wanted to, I could come back in the summer to see an autopsy. So cool! We'll just have to see if I can stomach it right yet. Check in tomorrow to see how I am doing. Later!

Weekly Reflection Two

My week did not really change from the one before. I am still finishing my main project. I had completed going through the case files and photocopying both the autopsy reports and the investigation reports. Right now, I am recording data for the Medical Examiner's office to use in the future. I am taking down information including age, gender, case number, cause of death, circumstances, state of residency and any toxicology panel results. There are some pieces of information that I need to review the case file for. Because I have redacted the personal information, it makes it difficult to fill in some of the fields. While this week does seem like a repeat of the one before, I love working at the ME's office. I am learning things just from being in the office. Earlier this week, I reviewed some old cases that involved facial reconstructions and missing persons with my sponsor, Kim, who is very interested in this piece of forensic investigation. She was telling me about a conference she attended that highlighted the benefits of this new technology to help solve unknown cases. 

I also met with a woman who represents the Health and Human Services. She is spearheading the alliance between the Health and Human Services and the Medical Examiner's office to create a program that is proactive in preventing suicides. She was telling me that if a person has committed suicide in a neighborhood, young people in that same neighborhood have an increased chance of doing the same. She has worked with others to create a publication that aids the family and community of someone who has taken their life, in order to prevent a ripple-effect or aftermath. Being such a small state, New Hampshire is fortunate to have the funds to create such a program. It was interesting to get the perspective of someone working outside of the Medical Examiner's office and her experiences doing so. She even insisted that if I had any questions that might help with my Senior Project presentation, that she would be more than happy to help. It is nice to know that if I ever want to learn more about the suicide prevention program that all I need do is ask. It just shows that this cause is very important to her and that it is working. All good steps in the right direction...

I am hoping that by the end of the day tomorrow I will be completely finished with my main project. That means that I can finish my Senior Project with a bang, no pun intended. Check back in the next few days to hear how my last week is going. Take care!