What is the difference between a medical scientist and a pathologist?

What is the difference between a forensic pathologist and a coroner, practically speaking? Specifically, where do they fit alongside each other in the U.S.?

• I ask because I am a high school student interested in becoming a forensic pathologist. However, I have found it exceedingly difficult to find consistent info on the aforementioned subject online. I am not sure both positions even exist anymore, given that the seemingly lower standards of the 'plain old' coroner are a bit out of place next to those of the forensic pathologist - an MD or DO, plus all those years of schooling involved to get it. Meanwhile, coroners apparently don't need either, and yet have more or less the same responsibilities, minus some of the autopsy. Basically, the internet has been incredibly unhelpful.

• Answer:

  OK, first of all a disclaimer, I am from the British system, so of course it's a bit removed, but from what I see when I go across the pond is same-ish. A forensic pathologist is a medical doctor who specialises in the determination of causes of death. A Coroner is a  type of judge, who very rarely has a medical background (despite plenty of initiatives, still less than 10 percent, as after all the job requires legal knowledge, and adding a law degree to what is already a complex career path is not that easy). To be honest, the medical skills are not that useful, as they have plenty of experts around them to help with the terminology, and never get involved in the PM side. They just make sure the procedures are followed, presented to a jury, and then the law upheld. From what I have seen in the States, small towns tended to appoint the local GP/dentist/mortician as a coroner, and THESE did postmortems as well. But the system is ancient and pretty much gone, as such findings would never stand in court nowadays, and is being fast phased out (it's been utterly gone in cities for ages). And the idea remains that they're around mainly due to lazy Hollywood writers. So I'd say, no two things about it, if you want to go into forensic pathology, only one way, ie med school and getting the lovely people of the American College of Pathologists to recognise you as a Fellow... It takes a while, to say the least, no shortcuts I'm afraid...