Cameron Schenk works for Midwest Autopsy.
He has a COOL JOB as an Operations Manager and Autopsy Assistant/Embalmer.

His Gig:
Cameron is a graduate of Kansas City Community College with a degree in Mortuary Science. Aside from being the Operations Manager, he also serves as a Grossing Technician/Autopsy Assistant for a private lab in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to this, he was a Forensic Autopsy Technician for the Jackson County, Missouri, Medical Examiner's Office for 12 years. In addition, he contracts autopsy services to six other agencies in the Kansas City area. Cameron is also an Autopsy Technician for the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, Region 7, for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In the sixteen years Cameron has been an Autopsy Technician/Mortician, he has been involved in every aspect of an autopsy from a hospital setting instructing medical students and residents, to a medico-legal aspect of performing autopsies on homicides, suicides, traffic accidents and other nonviolent deaths, to working on transplant teams as a Tissue Procurement Technician removing eyes, skin and long bones. When he worked in the funeral home setting, his duties were embalming, casketing, funeral directing and sales.

How He Got That Gig:
“Growing up, I had a distant relative who co-owned and lived in a funeral home. At an early age, we would go to visit and I remember being spooked out about ghosts and what would be behind the doors at the funeral home. As I got older I found it to be not scary and quite interesting. At this time I didn't think any more about the mortuary profession.” Then one day his grandmother, who was quite old and had lived way past her doctors’ predictions, asked him to help her pick out a casket. “I realized I had a knack for making her feel better about what she had to do and that felt good.” Schenk left college and went to mortuary school at the KC Community College. He did a one-year apprenticeship in a small town and then came back to Kansas City where he now works with several hospitals in Jackson County.

A Day In The Life:
“I am on call to perform autopsies as needed at five area hospitals, five days a week. He is also the Autopsy Assistant to the Examiner for Jackson County. Anytime there is a homicide, suicide or motor vehicle accident an autopsy may be performed. “This is a very intriguing but gruesome part of my job. I have autopsied the wrestler that died in our sports arena, the barrel women that were found after reported missing for several years, the little boy who was dragged for miles by a carjacker to name a few. I also work for the Kansas City Eyebank and remove donated corneas for research or transplants. I have started my own business cleaning up blood and body parts at a crime scene.”

High Five:
“Everyone is dying to see me! Seriously, I have job security, no one wants to do this job and there will always be a need. I also get to work on high profile cases and can aid in solving a crime. Plus each person and the reason for their death is different which keeps the job interesting. Every dead body we see has a story to tell, our job is to find out what that is. ”

Down Low:
“Working on decomposed bodies.”

Wish List:
“To not work on decomposed bodies.”

Pastimes:
“Play with my 6 month old little girl and hang out with my friends.”

Words From The Wise:
“Be sure you can handle seeing the body at the condition its in , which you will also have to deal with as a medical doctor. Have a sense of humor and know when to use it.”

For More Information:
Call your local funeral home and talk to the director about their job. You can also call your local hospitals and talk to the pathologist. We have a high school biology class that comes in once a week to view an autopsy.