ABMDI Registry study plan
ABMDI Registry · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Medicolegal Death Investigation Principles, Jurisdiction, and the Role of the Investigator
Diagram the death investigation system, separating medicolegal, clinical/hospital, and law-enforcement functions and naming the statutory authority behind each
Resolve 12 written jurisdiction fact patterns (hospice death, out-of-state decedent, death in transit, death on tribal or federal land) and record which agency holds authority in each
Write a one-page role-boundary summary distinguishing investigator duties from those of the coroner/ME, prosecutor, EMS, and law enforcement
Match 15 scenarios to the correct manner of death and flag each case where cause and manner diverge
Your checkpoint
A completed 20-item jurisdiction and manner-of-death decision table, each row annotated with the governing statute or office policy
Initial Response, Notification, and Scene Assessment
Build a call-intake checklist capturing decedent demographics, scene address, medical history, pronouncement details, and persons on scene
Sequence the first 60 minutes of a scene response into a timed, ordered checklist
Identify 5 conditions that mandate immediate ME/coroner notification versus routine response and state the reason for each
Rehearse a next-of-kin notification script with a partner across three scenarios: expected death, traumatic death, and unidentified decedent
Your checkpoint
A timed first-hour response checklist plus a recorded 5-minute mock notification scored against a 10-point rubric
Scene Investigation, Evidence Recognition, and Documentation
Photograph a mock scene using the wide-to-medium-to-close method and produce at least 40 images with a matching photo log
Recognize and describe 10 categories of physical evidence (medications, weapons, notes, digital devices, biological stains, and similar) with correct handling and packaging for each
Draft a measured scene diagram with fixed reference points, a legend, and orientation markers
Complete a chain-of-custody form for each item you collect, including transfer signatures and times
Your checkpoint
A complete mock scene file containing photo log, measured diagram, evidence inventory, and chain-of-custody records
Examination of the Decedent and Postmortem Findings
Perform a full external examination on a training manikin, documenting lividity, rigor, postmortem change, and injuries using precise anatomical terminology
Distinguish antemortem from postmortem injury in writing for 10 case descriptions and justify each call
Interpret 8 sets of postmortem interval indicators (body temperature, lividity, rigor, decomposition) and write a reasoned estimate for each
List the finding categories that compel autopsy or forensic pathologist consultation
Your checkpoint
A complete external examination report on a simulated decedent, peer-scored against a 25-point documentation checklist
Identification of the Decedent and Next-of-Kin Notification & Death Classification and Special Circumstance Investigations
Rank identification methods by reliability and apply the hierarchy to 6 vignettes using visual, fingerprint, dental, DNA, tattoo, and implanted-device evidence
Write 2 next-of-kin notification documentation entries recording who was notified, when, by whom, and the outcome
Classify 12 scenarios into a manner of death and defend each classification in two sentences tied to stated criteria
Map the reporting requirements and mandatory contacts for 5 special-circumstance types (child death, elder abuse, overdose, in-custody death, workplace fatality)
Your checkpoint
A 12-case classification log with a written rationale for each manner determination and the special-circumstance contacts cited alongside
Death Classification and Special Circumstance Investigations & Report Writing, Records, and Interagency Communication
Write 3 full investigative reports (one natural, one accident, one undetermined) in objective factual language that stays inside investigator scope
Audit your own three reports against a 20-point report-writing rubric and revise each one
Draft responses to 3 record-request types (public records request, subpoena, family request) citing the applicable rule or exemption
Run a 10-minute interagency handoff with a mock detective unit and log the information exchanged in both directions
Your checkpoint
A portfolio of 3 polished investigative reports plus a records-release decision matrix covering all 3 request types
Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice Standards & Medicolegal Death Investigation Principles, Jurisdiction, and the Role of the Investigator
Chart your obligations on confidentiality, chain of custody, testimonial honesty, conflicts of interest, and bias recognition with a source citation for each
Draft a courtroom testimony outline and deliver 10 minutes of mock direct and cross examination
Re-take a 40-question cumulative quiz across domains 1 through 6 and log every missed concept by domain
Build a flashcard deck for any item missed twice and schedule spaced repetitions before week 8
Your checkpoint
A recorded mock testimony plus a dated remediation list naming each weak concept and its review date
Medicolegal Death Investigation Principles, Jurisdiction, and the Role of the Investigator & Initial Response, Notification, and Scene Assessment & Scene Investigation, Evidence Recognition, and Documentation & Examination of the Decedent and Postmortem Findings & Identification of the Decedent and Next-of-Kin Notification & Death Classification and Special Circumstance Investigations & Report Writing, Records, and Interagency Communication & Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice Standards
Complete 2 full-length timed practice exams and score at least 80% on each
Convert every missed item into a one-line corrective rule statement
Answer 10 rapid-fire scenario prompts verbally in under 60 seconds each
Verify test-day logistics: identification requirements, arrival time, permitted materials, and breaks
Your checkpoint
Two practice exam score reports at or above 80% plus a final one-page sheet of recurring missed rules and test-day logistics
Milestones
Week 2: Deliver a next-of-kin notification simulation and first-hour response checklist; a peer scores both against the rubric with no critical omissions
Week 4: Score at least 80% on the external examination checklist and at least 80% on a 25-question cumulative quiz covering domains 1 through 4
Week 6: Produce 3 reports that each score 18 or better out of 20 on the report rubric, plus a records-release matrix that correctly resolves all 3 request types
Week 8: Score at least 80% on both full-length timed practice exams and hold a completed one-page sheet of corrective rules for every recurring miss