Salary: $109,179.20 Annually
Location : County of San Diego, CA
Job Type: Regular - Full time
Job Number:
Department: Medical Examiner, County
Division: Pathology
Opening Date: 06/12/2026
Closing Date: Continuous

Job Summary

This is a series recruitment that will be open until the available positions are filled.

Applicants must complete and submit the online application to be considered for this recruitment.
Are you a pathology resident looking for a career in medicolegal death investigations? Are you a practicing pathologist looking for a career change? Are you interested in finding the causes of sudden unexpected death, playing an active role in a criminal investigation, or determining just "what happened" when a person died?

The Department of the Medical Examiner currently has an open position for a Forensic Pathology Fellow

San Diego County is a large jurisdiction of approximately 3.3 million people covering approximately 4,300 square miles. Over 9,000 deaths per year are reported to our office, and we take jurisdiction on approximately 4,000 of those cases. The diverse geographic features of the county, including urban, suburban, and rural areas, as well as mountains, deserts, waterways, and an international border, provide fellows with a wide variety of case types.
Daily multidisciplinary meetings are held each morning to discuss new cases and the previous day's cases. The department has in-house investigations and a full toxicology laboratory. Fellows will have comfortable offices next to the rest of the physician staff. Fellows are valuable members of the team and attend scenes, take call, and accompany staff to court if they do not have the opportunity to testify in their own cases. Fellows are sent to either the AAFS or NAME meetings, spend over a week in the Regional Crime Laboratory, and spend time in forensic anthropology, forensic odontology, and forensic toxicology.

This recruitment has a limited term for the academic year beginning July 1, 2028. Appointments to this job classification are limited to twelve months, or 2080 hours, and are not subject to Civil Service protection. Positions in this job classification are found exclusively in the Medical Examiner's Department.
Ideal CandidateThe County of San Diego desires a candidate that communicates effectively in English, both orally and written; is able to establish effective working relationships with management, employees, employee representatives and the public representing diverse cultures and backgrounds; and an individual who encompasses confidence in one's judgment and ability and willingness to be assertive in order to serve the best interest of the County.

Applications will be accepted from applicants who:
Possess a State of California license to practice medicine (State of California Business and Professions Code Sec. 2135); AND
(1) Possess board certification in Anatomic Pathology or Anatomic and Clinical Pathology;
OR,
(2) Are eligible to take the Anatomic Pathology examination or Anatomic and Clinical Pathology Board examination by July 01, 2028.

At the time of appointment to the position July 1, 2028, applicants must possess a valid license to practice medicine in the State of California (California Business and Professions Code Section 2135).

Note: Anatomic Pathology training must have been approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

****A copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV) must be submitted with your application.

Three (3) letters of recommendation must be emailed directly from the sources to in order to be considered for this position.

The interviews will be conducted virtually for all applicants.

Salary listed reflects that of current fiscal year, 2026-2027.

Please read the job description for more information.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of the application Work History and/or supplemental questionnaire.
Condition of Employment

As part of the County of San Diego's pre-employment process, prospective candidates will undergo a background check (including fingerprinting) and a pre-employment medical screening prior to beginning County employment. Additional types of background investigations may be conducted based on the job-related activities of the position. Current County employees may be excluded from this process.

Evaluation
The names of qualified applicants will be placed on a two (2) year employment list with a score of 100.

Accommodation
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of the job, on a case-by-case basis.

01

Please be sure to answer the following questions in a thorough, complete, and truthful manner, as your responses may be used to determine your overall score. Please note that if you are invited to a selection interview(s) by the department, your responses to the following questions may be subject to verification. Do you understand this information?

• Yes
• No

02

Are you board certified in Anatomic Pathology or Anatomic and Clinical Pathology?

• Yes
• No

03

If you answered "No" to question #2, will you be eligible to take the Anatomic Pathology examination and clinical Pathology Board examination by 7/01/2028?

• Yes
• No

04

If you answered "Yes" to question #2, please list your Anatomic Pathology or Anatomic and Clinical Pathology certification number below. If you answered "no", please indicate "N/A" below.
05

Do you possess a license to practice medicine in the State of California?

• Yes
• No

06

If you answered "No" to question #5, will you possess a valid license to practice medicine in the State of California by 07/01/2028?

• Yes
• No

07

If you answered "Yes" to question #5, please provide your State of California Medical license number. If you answered "No", please indicate N/A in the box below.
08

Did you attach a copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV) to your application? A copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV) must be submitted with your application.

• Yes
• No

09

How did you first hear about this position?

• San Diego County website
• Governmentjobs.com
• Careers in Government
• Veteran Outreach
• County Social Media
• Family, Neighbors, Friends
• County Employee Resource Group
• College/University Career Site
• NAME
• Voice and Viewpoint
• Other

10

If you answered "other" in the previous question, please indicate where you first heard about the position in the field below. If not applicable, please indicate "N/A" in the field below.
Required Question