u/BaconCheese825

i really want to go into forensic psychology and im currently majoring in biology with a unique selective program i created myself. i've met with a lot of advisors but when i mention what i want to do not only are they usually confused, but there's no effort on their end to work with me to figure out how to set up my future to reach this career goal. im just wondering if anyone (alumni or current student) has or plan to go to into a career like mine? specifically im working towards becoming a forensic pathologist assistant and plan to go to PA school at loma linda for it. or even any similar career choice where autopsies are the main focus, please let me know im curious!

hello, i first wanna start off by saying please give me grace, i have been trying to figure this all out on my own and those around me and my school has unfortunately been no help. im a little unsure of what i want to do, i'll explain what i was hoping to achieve with my career. i want to be able to conduct autopsies and work in labs to determine the cause of death in sudden, unexpected, or suspicious deaths. i initially was working towards becoming an a forensics pathologist assistant/autopsy, but i was just informed of other career options such as medical examiner, medicolegal death investigator, coroner, and autopsy technicians. just based on the research ive done its very hard to distinguish the difference between all careers. im based in california and i had no plans to attend medical school as i was told it wasn't needed for the intial career choices i picked but upon further research, it mentions i would need residency as well? im wondering if there's a career path that'll allow me to legally dissect bodies and conduct labs on the cause of death without going to school for 10 million years. if that's the only way then so be it, i will commit myself but i wanted advice from others in the field. my school does not offer any forensic science degrees so im majoring in biology and minoring in criminal justice studies. (im in my undergrad)

some of things i enjoy doing are conducting labs, dissections, and using detective skills, however i have considered becoming a forensic scientist if the initial pathways are too long. is it possible to get any advice? as of now im in the process of finding volunteer opportunities within the medical examiner's offices near me, including LLU for their forensic pathologist assistant program. please help! it's very frustrating feeling this lost without any guidance. thank you so much in advance. feel free to ask any questions for clarification