FORENSIC ATTENDANT

Applications will be accepted from November 12, 2024, at 8:00am PT and will remain open until the needs of the Department are met. 

The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The Department of Medical Examiner is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Forensic Attendant vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.

Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Forensic Attendant.

• Drives a County vehicle to locations throughout the County to recover and transport bodies, specimens, or records from hospitals, nursing home, or other death scenes to the Medical Examiner's facility.
• Maintains vehicles in operational condition.
• Keeps vehicle stocked with gurneys, stretchers, straps, sheets, and necessary supplies.
• Recovers, lifts, and transports bodies to Department of Medical Examiner or other facilities.
• Receives and processes bodies into Department of Medical Examiner facilities; places bodies on autopsy tables; prepares bodies for release; and releases bodies subsequent to post mortem examination.
• Collects and preserves physical and medical evidence.
• Performs case related data entry to Medical Examiner's computer system; keeps a log on morgue activities; writes receipts for bodies, clothing, personal property, and evidence; fingerprints bodies in accordance with departmental standards.
• Cleans autopsy room and sterilizes instruments and equipment; delivers soiled linen to laundry; returns clean linen to morgue and storage room.
• Assist the Medical Examiner Investigators in physical recovery and lifting of decedents bodies, as needed
• Assist in autopsy procedures, as needed.
• Perform other related duties, as needed.

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS:
Graduation from high school or possession of an equivalency diploma -AND- One (1) year of experience in a hospital, morgue or ambulance service moving or transporting patients or decedents.

LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License is required to perform job-related essential functions.

Successful applicants for positions that require driving must obtain and present a copy of his/her driving record from the California State Department of Motor Vehicles before final appointment. Applicants should not present a copy of their driving history until asked to do so by the hiring department. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether an applicant’s driving history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job. License must not be currently suspended, restricted, or revoked.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• One year of experience as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professional, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or Mortuary Removal Specialist.
• An Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree or higher, preferably in the following areas:
  • Administration of Justice
  • Health / Physical Sciences
  • Nursing

PHYSICAL CLASS:
4 - Arduous. Positions within this class involves frequent heavy lifting over 25 pounds, often combined with bending, twisting, or working on irregular surfaces; and occasionally requires extraordinary physical activity.

APPOINTEE MUST BE WILLING TO:

• Perform a variety of physically demanding activities, such as frequent lifting and moving of decedents and heavy equipment, climbing down rocky cliffs, carrying a piece of equipment up steep hills, or removing corpses from the ocean.
• Work ANY shift, including nights, weekends, and/or holidays.
• Work overtime in order to meet the legal requirements and/or departmental needs associated with death investigations.
• Drive 75-100 miles one-way using a County vehicle or personal vehicle to various death scenes throughout the County of Los Angeles (mileage reimbursement is provided by the County).
• Assist in the physical recovery, packaging, lifting, and moving of decedents’ bodies including infants, children and bodies that may be fragmented, burned and/or in advanced stages of decomposition.
• Work in highly stressful situations.
• Develop and apply effective coping and self-care skills that maintain physical, mental, emotional well-being, a healthy perspective, and a clear and appropriate set of boundaries.
• Work in death scenes that present a variety of difficult environmental challenges, such as strong odors, extreme temperatures, dilapidated living conditions, and/or rugged terrain.

Candidates selected for appointment will be extended an offer of employment that is conditional upon the results of a background investigation, physical ability test, psychological evaluation, and medical screening. The physical ability test will consist of a body drag, gurney lift and stair climb with weights.

EXAM CONTENT
Before the end of your initial work assignment, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment.

APPLICATION & FILING INFORMATION:
Applications must be filed online only.

Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add cmartinez@me.lacounty.gov as well as noreply@governmentjobs.com, and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

You have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the [time & date] deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

Computer and Internet Access at Public Libraries: For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County

The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Department Contact Name: Christian Martinez
Department Contact Phone: (323) 343-0710
Department  Contact Email: cmartinez@me.lacounty.gov
Teletype Number: (800) 899-4099

Salary : $50,627 - $68,224