Forensic pathology

Candidates with the Part 1 examination in general histopathology wishing to take the Part 2 examination in forensic pathology must have been training for at least 4.5 years, of which 3.5 must have been in the specialist/specialty registrar grade and to have included 2 years of forensic pathology training in an approved program. Prior to completion of training (end of stage D), pathologists will need to have completed at least 3 months' experience in each of neuropathology and paediatric pathology with 2 months of each being on formal attachment.

It is expected that candidates will have completed the majority of this training prior to attempting the Part 2 examination. 

The Part 2 examination consists of two components:

• casebook
• practical examination.

Submission of a casebook of 10 medicolegal cases, covering a wide spectrum of forensic work is required. The intention of the casebook is to demonstrate that candidates have had an adequate exposure to different types of cases during their training, are capable of drawing appropriate conclusions from the findings and are able to formulate good quality reports with well-reasoned discussions, in the context of the key literature.

The overall length of the casebook should be no more than 20,000 words excluding references and should not normally exceed this length. The word count must be stated in the casebook. Candidates will not be allowed to sit the practical and oral examination until the casebook has been awarded a pass mark by the examiners. Candidates submitting a satisfactory casebook but failing to achieve the required standard in other components of the examination will not be required to submit a new casebook at any subsequent attempt at the examination.

The practical and oral examination is a 3-day examination designed to assess the competence of candidates to practice forensic pathology independently and includes the following sections:

• autopsy – may include special dissection techniques
• microscopy – histological examination of 20 sections, to include material not only of overt medicolegal interest, but from any aspect of general histopathology relevant to autopsy practice
• long/short cases – preparation of reports/written answers based on documents and other material, which may include toxicological analyses, wet tissues, bones and x-rays, etc
• oral – may include aspects of forensic practice not covered elsewhere, such as ethical, legal and management issues
• written – 3-hour examination paper comprising 6 questions to cover any aspect of forensic/autopsy pathology, which might also include topics such as service provision, quality assurance and relevant legal issues. 

Candidates should ensure that they are fully aware and have covered the forensic histopathology curriculum published by the College. 

This qualification is intended for those who have pursued the full FRCPath in histopathology, neuropathology or paediatric pathology and who then wish to specialise in forensic pathology. The requirements are similar to those for the Part 2 in forensic pathology.

The examination may be taken after a period of training, which has included a minimum of 2 years’ substantial involvement in coronial/fiscal autopsy practice, of which at least 18 months must have been in forensic pathology departments approved by the College. Candidates must also have had at least 3 months’ experience in each of neuropathology and paediatric pathology, although the qualifications in regard to this time period, outlined in the Part 2 FRCPath above, would equally apply here.

The examination has 2 components:

• casebook: to include 10 medicolegal cases, the purpose and format of which is exactly the same as for the Part 2 FRCPath. Candidates submitting a satisfactory casebook but failing to achieve the required standard in other components of the examination, will not be required to submit a new casebook at any subsequent attempt at the examination.

• practical examination: the same 3-day examination format as for Part 2 FRCPath in forensic pathology, to comprise autopsy, microscopy, long/short cases, oral and written paper.