There is a difference. I am going to school to study to hopefully become a Forensic Pathologist.
Check this link to get more info:
http://www.thename.org/medical_detective.htm#what is a coroner
A coroner is a public official, appointed or elected, in a particular geographic jurisdiction, whose official duty is to make inquiry into deaths in certain categories.
A medical examiner is a physician, hence, the title medical examiner.
When acting in an official capacity, the physician medical examiner is
charged, within a particular jurisdiction, with the investigation
and examination of persons dying a sudden, unexpected or violent death.
The role of a medical examiner differs from that of the non-physician
coroner in that the medical examiner is expected to bring medical
expertise to the evaluation of the medical history and physical
examination of the deceased. The physician medical examiner usually
is not required to be a specialist in death investigation or pathology and
may practice any branch of medicine.
The forensic pathologist is a subspecialist in pathology whose area
of special competence is the examination of persons who die
sudden, unexpected or violent death. The forensic pathologist is an expert
in determining cause and manner of death. The forensic pathologist is
specially trained: to perform autopsies to determine the presence
or absence of disease, injury or poisoning; to evaluate historical and
law-enforcement investigative information relating to manner of
death; to collect medical evidence, such as trace evidence and
secretions, to document sexual assault; and to reconstruct how a
person received injuries.
