Morgue Operations Assistant

Maricopa County • Phoenix, AZ

7d • $20 - $31 • Onsite

About The Position

Are you passionate about serving your community and helping others? As a Morgue Operations Assistant, you'll have the opportunity to manage decedent storage by coordinating the admission and release of decedents for the 4th largest Medical Examiner jurisdiction in the nation! You'll contribute by ensuring decedents are handled with dignity and respect, maintaining chain-of-custody documentation, maintaining cooler space and organization, and interacting with next of kin, funeral homes, agencies, and other stakeholders. Please note that this position will be scheduled for one of the following shifts: Saturday - Tuesday, 5:00 AM - 3:00 PM Saturday - Tuesday, 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM About Us Join a team dedicated to providing reliable and trustworthy medicolegal death investigations in our community! The Office of the Medical Examiner is a county agency charged under Arizona law to perform medical investigations of certain types of deaths under their jurisdiction. The goal of these investigations is to determine the medical cause and manner of death to help improve public health and safety. We are looking for service-minded individuals to join our collaborative team to help the people of Maricopa County. Proud to Offer Work with a greater purpose Tuition reimbursement Exceptional work-life balance Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents Child care benefits, including access to our on-site center, Maricopa County Kids Club , dedicated to serving Maricopa County families Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave Extensive wellness program, including an incentive Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit requiring a 12% monthly contribution rate that includes a 100% employer match on Day 1 Want to learn more about the County’s Qualifying and Compensation Philosophy? Follow this link to learn more! Work With Us | Maricopa County, AZ

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED
• Two years of experience in direct contact with decedents in a medical examiner/coroner’s office, funeral home, or health care environment, to include the utilization of chain of custody forms OR Two years of experience performing clerical duties in a health care, funeral home, law enforcement, or similar office environment, including at least one year of direct decedent/patient contact OR Two years of experience performing office, administrative, or clerical duties and a minimum of six months volunteering with the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner OR An equivalent combination of post-secondary education in a life science, nursing, healthcare administration, or criminology may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis

Nice To Haves

• Experience working or volunteering in a medical examiner/coroner’s office
• Experience working with decedents
• Experience working with callers in a highly emotional state.
• Clerical experience in a health care setting
• Direct patient care experience
• Bilingual skills (read, write, and speak Spanish and English )
• Experience working with Database Application for Vital Events (DAVE), the state’s vital record system
• Successful completion of college-level coursework in anatomy and physiology
• Successful completion of a medical office assistant training program

Responsibilities

• Admit decedents to the OME by accepting the remains from OME or transportation services personnel, confirming the accuracy and completeness of the chain of custody paperwork, and completing admission steps in accordance with policies
• Act as a custodian of decedents by ensuring remains are secured, utilizing equipment to move decedents in the coolers, and performing scheduled cooler audits.
• Assist with cleaning, sanitizing, and organizing decedent coolers
• When indicated by policies, obtain photographs, fingerprints, specimens, or other time-sensitive items from decedents
• Release decedents to the party responsible for completing the final disposition of the remains by removing the decedent from the cooler, verifying the case number and identity, and completing appropriate chain of custody paperwork
• Report cooler and equipment concerns and maintenance needs to supervisors
• Provide assistance to co-workers, transportation services, or funeral home personnel when moving a decedent is potentially dangerous for one person
• Ensure equipment exposed to biohazardous material is cleaned following each use
• Act as custodian of decedent property by ensuring that all items are appropriately documented, secured, and released with appropriate chain of custody paperwork
• Facilitate the release of evidence to law enforcement and complete the associated chain of custody documentation
• Navigate and maintain information in a case management system and shared task tracking databases, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders when necessary
• Ensure physical documents are completed appropriately, scanned, and filed within the Department’s record management system
• Maintain the examination calendar and schedule the forensic examination based on policy
• Contact the decedent’s family to provide exam status updates, the next steps for the family to pursue, and ensure they understand OME timeframes
• Review data in the case management system and associated forms to ensure accurate verification of the decedent's identity and personal property before releasing them to the correct agency in accordance with established protocols
• Coordinate the release of decedents to funeral homes, family/relatives, or other approved agencies
• Route case inquiries from family members, funeral homes, law enforcement, and other agencies to the appropriate OME personnel
• Document all calls to the Admitting section and their details in the case management system
• Ensure approved visitors are checked in and badged in accordance with policy before allowing them to enter the OME facility

Benefits

• Work with a greater purpose
• Tuition reimbursement
• Exceptional work-life balance
• Opportunities for growth and development within Maricopa County
• Low-cost, high-value healthcare for you and your qualifying dependents
• Child care benefits, including access to our on-site center, Maricopa County Kids Club , dedicated to serving Maricopa County families
• Paid vacation, sick time, and parental leave
• Extensive wellness program, including an incentive
• Enrollment in the Arizona State Retirement System, a defined retirement benefit requiring a 12% monthly contribution rate that includes a 100% employer match on Day 1

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED