Death Investigation 101
Hello Responders,
I just completed my very first podcast! Feel free to watch it; I’d love y’all’s feedback! In it, I talked about my experience of quitting alcohol and how that related to my career and life. I wasn’t sure I could talk for an hour and I didn’t feel like I was ready to share my scars but I decided to do it anyway. Why? Because finding an alcohol free life was life-changing for me and I want to be able to share that story with my community so others will find freedom too. While I don’t feel confident in speaking YET, the confidence will come if I have courage, commit to my goal, and do the dang thing! “In order to begin, begin!”
In forensic science, there is no “career-in-a-box.” In death investigation, for example, my colleagues are trained as registered nurses, funeral directors, forensic anthropologists, EMTs, or autopsy technicians. We don’t necessarily receive formal training in how to talk to grieving families or why hypertension and diabetes leads to natural deaths. More on this later… for now, I’d like you to continue with me on my journey from beginning to now.
When I left college, I didn’t know where to begin. I’d applied to graduate schools hoping for something but didn’t get in anywhere. So, I attended the Michigan State University field school in England. MSU has an excellent forensic anthropology program and they take undergrads and grads to Cambridge and London for two months of immersive learning. I made some great connections with professors, professionals, and other students interested in pursuing forensic anthropology as a degree. One of the folks I met knew a DC-area biological anthropologist at the National Museum of Heath and Medicine who agreed to let me intern with her. It was unpaid and unscripted. I lived at home with my parents. I spent all day cataloging, organizing, photographing, and dusting human anatomical specimen, or whatever else the Curators didn’t want to do that day. After, I would drive to the Texas Roadhouse and waitress. I would go home, wake up, and repeat. It wasn’t glamourous, but it set a foundation. When grad school application time came around again, I was able to speak specifically about my “gap-year” experience and how the hard work only solidified my dedication and commitment to the field. I attended my first American Academy of Forensic Sciences Conference in New Orleans that year and gathered the courage to talk with the professors leading the big programs to which I’d applied.
And, I was accepted to Texas State University! Confidence came as a result of action: standing in my fear and committing to my goals. This was the beginning! Next week, I’ll talk more about what graduate school was like for me.
(Please send me a note with your notes about the video – I’d love to hear what you think!)
Cheers,
Kat
