Medico-legal Expert Opinion Consultants

Location: Melbourne | CBD

Job type: Casual

Organisation: Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine

**Salary**: Salary not specified

Occupation: Medical and Nursing

Reference: VG/FM2012FEB23

The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine is Australia’s most comprehensive forensic medical facility. We serve the Victorian community and the whole of the Victorian justice system, especially the courts.

We provide the justice system with evidence to underpin safe convictions and appropriate acquittals. Our doctors help investigate deaths reported to the Coroner, examine alleged offenders and assess, treat and support victims of crime.

The Donor Tissue Bank of Victoria supports patients and their families by providing safe tissues for transplantation and medical research.

We embrace diversity and strive to have a workforce that reflects the community we serve. We’re all about recruiting the best people, regardless of gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or cultural background. If you think you can do the job and would be a good fit for our organisation, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information on working with us and our recruitment process, please visit vifm.org/about-us/careers/

If a career that can give you the opportunity to contribute to a safe and just Victoria appeals to you, we look forward to hearing from you.

**About us**

The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) is an independent statutory authority governed by the _Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine Act 1985_ (the VIFM Act). It is part of the Justice portfolio of the Victorian Government. The work of the VIFM can be described as a cycle of three parts:

- Providing forensic medical and scientific services and tissue banking
- Learning from this work
- Researching and teaching.

**About the role**

The Clinical Forensic Medicine ‘Expert Opinion Consultant' role is a position responsible for the delivery of medico-legal expert opinion services as part of supporting justice services in Victoria. These services are provided to Victoria Police, the Office of Public Prosecutions, the Courts, Legal Practitioners and other Justice agencies.

The expert opinion consultants are expected to be available to undertake medico-legal expert opinion services, centred around the provision of expert medicolegal reports. The consultants are required to meet the agreed KPIs relating to timeliness of the contracted service. Training in medico-legal report writing and oral testimony skills will be provided in addition to access to experts in related forensic scientific and pathology support. Engagement with VIFM quality assurance and peer review processes will be an integral part of the role to ensure delivery of high-quality services.

**About you**
- General and/or Specialist registration as a medical practitioner by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or an ability to obtain such registration
- A forensic medicine qualification such as from a college or faculty (FFCFM (RCPA), FFLM (RCP), (FACLM) or equivalent); or one of the following:

- A post graduate degree qualification in forensic medicine (such as MForensMed);
- The satisfactory completion of a jurisdiction's recognised forensic medical specialty training program;
- Experience in providing medico-legal expert opinions and medical reports for court (personal injury and or occupational health and safety injury interpretation)
- Demonstrated high level skill and ability to provide medico-legal expert opinion services with an understanding of the complexities, standards and legal issues associated with the provision of forensic evidence in court
- Knowledge of and experience in assessing injuries (injury patterns, likely causative scenarios, interpretation of photographs, radiology reports, medical records and surgical documentation), with the ability to describe injury in medico-legal reports and oral testimony.

**How to apply**

**_ FOR INTERNAL VPS EMPLOYEES:_**

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION**:
The department is committed to providing and maintaining a working environment which is safe and without risk to the health of its employees consistent with the department's obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic). Therefore, there is a requirement that all DJCS employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to undertake duties outside of their homes.

At interview stage and prior to commencement of employment with the department, you will need to provide evidence that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 with **three doses** of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Upon commencement of employment with the department you will be required to provide evidence that you have an up-to-date vaccination status within the timelines specified by the department into the DJCS Service Portal. This includes evidence of **three doses** of a COVID-19 vaccine required by the department (from time to time).

Acceptable evidence includes:

- COVID