Temporary Autopsy Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Placement Type:
Temporary
Salary:
$53.04-57.69 Hourly
Start Date:
Sep 7, 2026
Partnering with Aquent, a leading healthcare organization is seeking a dedicated professional to join their compassionate team. This organization is committed to delivering comprehensive care and upholding dignity and respect for patients and their families, even after life has ended. You will play a profoundly impactful role in ensuring continuity of care and providing crucial support during sensitive times, making a tangible difference for countless families and dedicated clinical staff.
Step into a profoundly impactful role where your expertise will be instrumental in navigating complex postmortem processes. This unique opportunity allows you to extend care to patients in their final phase, ensuring their dignity and respect are upheld. You will be the central figure managing postmortem care, storage, and release of remains across an integrated health system, working within a clinical setting and collaborating closely with nurses and physician teams. Your compassionate support will honor personal wishes and create a vital sense of closure for families.
To be considered for this role, you must:

• Be authorized to work in the United States
• Not require sponsorship of any kind for the duration of the assignment
• Be able to work on a W-2 basis. C2C or 1099 is not permitted for this position
• Be able to work overnight shifts

What You Will Do

• Provide compassionate support to patients and their families, extending care even in the final phases of life.
• Collaborate closely with nursing and medical teams, assisting with all aspects of postmortem care.
• Offer direct, in-person support to patients and families during complex and sensitive cases, including fetal demise and perinatal loss.
• Act as a vital member of the patient care team, offering expert guidance to families and hospital staff.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for families regarding all issues related to disposition and funeral home releases, guiding them through sensitive post-death processes.
• Facilitate connections with Spiritual Care Services, referring families for grief support and addressing religious/cultural needs.
• Ensure the deceased's unique preferences and cultural/religious practices are honored by collaborating with families and hospital staff.
• Secure valid consent for autopsies and provide comprehensive follow-up post-examination.
• Partner with medical staff, law enforcement, and external agencies to ensure timely, legally compliant disposition, minimizing organizational liability.
• Manage the respectful disposition of fetal remains when families choose hospital disposition.
• Coordinate patient transport teams to the morgue following a patient's death.
• Oversee morgue operations and physical remains, ensuring accurate identification, meticulous documentation (death certificates, medical records), and proper maintenance.
• Maintain optimal conditions for remains storage in temperature-controlled environments, ensuring integrity and strict compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Facilitate critical processes like autopsies and organ donation, acting as a liaison between pathology, autopsy teams, and organ procurement organizations, always respecting wishes and legal requirements.
• Prepare deceased patients for viewing, ensuring dignity, respect, and a peaceful presentation for grieving families and loved ones.
• Determine next-of-kin and communicate sensitive information to families with empathy.
• Serve as the singular point of contact for families, guiding them through next steps after a loved one's death and navigating funeral home selection complexities.
• Review death cases thoroughly, providing clear and pertinent information to families.
• Offer expert consultation on autopsy procedures, disposition options, and social services.
• Conduct thorough next-of-kin searches for patients without listed contacts, notify families, and facilitate referrals to the appropriate county authorities when necessary.
• Accurately and timely enter death certificate records into electronic systems.
• Maintain timely and accurate documentation for effective complex case management.
• Oversee complex and sensitive case processes, ensuring clear communication to all stakeholders.
• Act as a crucial liaison between mortuaries and facilities.
• Coordinate Release of Remains documentation, managing autopsy and organ donation holds efficiently.
• Liaise with anatomical gift programs and research departments, coordinating with next-of-kin and researchers for tissue and specimen procurement for scientific research.
• Provide essential 'just-in-time' education to physicians, nursing staff, and families, serving as a subject matter expert on cause of death.
• Provide comprehensive support to staff and families throughout all aspects of inpatient deaths.

Must-Have Qualifications

• Minimum four (4) years of experience in a healthcare or bereavement setting.
• Demonstrated human relations and effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Critical attention to detail.
• Strong coordination and organizational skills required to prioritize deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to interpret and analyze clinical data and medical records.
• Ability to navigate electronic death registration systems and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Proven ability to provide independent coordination and decision-making for all activities of a specified program.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Funeral home, mortuary, or healthcare decedent care experience.
• Previous experience in patient satisfaction/customer service.
• Knowledge of medical terminology/bereavement training.
• Electronic Death Registration System experience/certification.
• LCSW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

About Aquent Talent:
Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands.
Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits!
Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.
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