Does a Career as a Mortician Interest You?

Until someone actually experiences the death of a close friend or family member, that person will rarely have an opportunity to know of all that is involved when preparing and performing a funeral service. For the most difficult and involved aspects of a funeral, most of the times a funeral home is hired to oversee and direct their carrying out. Also known as morticians and undertakers, funeral directors are the last people that will come into close contact with the remains of the deceased before finally being buried. As such, from specific training in entrepreneurship and mortuary sciences, becoming a mortician may not be as easy as some would think.

On your path to becoming a mortician, your mortuary science program will include many courses from other disciplines, most notably those of the medical fields. Naturally, classes such as physiology, anatomy, and those involving body restoration techniques will be a considerable amount of your studies. Mortuary science students must also become licensed embalmers, learning how to properly clean a dead body, drain it of the blood and replace this with embalming fluid. Mortuary science programs will also have to include courses involving funeral logistics, since morticians must be familiar and up to date with the processes and technologies involved in storing and transporting dead bodies.

In addition to the courses focused on the preparing the dead bodies, mortuary science programs must also give students a good foundation in owning and managing a business enterprise. Students will benefit from having leadership and sensitivity training, along with their accounting and business management courses, since a major part of the funeral service industry is guiding employees and gently handling mourning customers. A growing trend among mortuary students is taking a number of intensive psychology and counseling courses, as more funeral homes are now beginning to offer grief counseling services to their clients. More than just the business that takes and buries dead bodies, more funeral homes are offering entire funeral service packages, covering even the most mundane things like sending notices and obituaries in newspapers.

All states have licensing requirements for morticians to abide by, though most will require them to be at least 21 years old with two years of formal education in the field. Most morticians must work inconsistent hours at times, working nights, weekends, and holidays, since no one can really predict when people will die. However unfortunate as it may be for the loved ones left behind, for people in the funeral services industry it is a good thing that everyone will die at some point in time.

If these occupational challenges, along with those of handling dead bodies and grieving families, do not bother you, go ahead and study mortuary science—you will almost be guaranteed a job somewhere on the planet.

Is Mortuary Science Right for You?

If a career in funeral services interests you, you should first spend some time researching the educational background your state requires to become a licensed funeral director. In certain states, you need only to have finished an apprenticeship and received a high school diploma, but in others you must have obtained a bachelor's degree. There are a number of institutions that offer programs in mortuary science. In this article, you will learn more about enrolling in one of these programs.

If your state requires no more than an apprenticeship, you can begin looking for a position while you are still in high school. You should, however, make sure you are at least 18 years of age when you begin your search. A great way to begin looking for an apprenticeship is to call or email local funeral homes. If you live in a tiny, rural town, you may have the benefit of already knowing your local funeral directors. When you are searching for an apprenticeship, utilize these relationships.

Working as an apprentice funeral director, you will have the chance to gain real-world experience in the industry. An apprenticeship will generally focus on skills, such as dealing with grieving loved ones and embalming bodies properly, that will help you when you become a licensed funeral director. You can feel free to enroll in a mortuary science degree program during or after your apprenticeship, even if it is not required by your state.

If you are planning to earn an associate's degree, you should consider vocational schools or community colleges in your area. This is an excellent way to save money while earning your mortuary science degree. Additionally, you can begin your degree program while you are completing your apprenticeship, which will help you finish more quickly. In some associate's degree programs, you are able to use your apprenticeship toward class credit. If you are interested in doing this, talk to your academic adviser to learn your school's policy.

If your state necessitates a bachelor's degree, or you simply want to receive it, you will need to plan to take college courses for four years. Your mortuary science courses will only be a portion of the classes you will have to take in a bachelor's degree program. This is simply part of being enrolled in a liberal arts college. Also, bachelor's degree programs often delve into the history of funeral science more than an associate's program or an apprenticeship.

You should seriously consider your career choice before option to become a funeral director. It can be an emotionally demanding career because you will need to deal with people who are going through an incredibly challenging time. If, however, you possess great care and empathy for others, you will likely find this career choice rewarding.

 

Are You Considering a Career as a Funeral Director?

Becoming a funeral director is not the most stylish job in the world. However, for a wide range of reasons, people choose to dedicate their lives to this profession. Many funeral directors come from families who have owned funeral homes for generations. For these people, becoming a funeral director is simply the next logical step. Other people, though, become funeral directors because of the job security. Because people will always pass away, funeral directors will always be necessary.

If you choose to work as a funeral director, you will need to be ready for an onslaught of obligations. You will have to supervise many practical tasks, such as the cremation or burial of bodies in accordance with dead persons' wishes. If an individual has opted to be buried, you will need to make certain that his or her body has been correctly embalmed or embalm it yourself. Almost invariably, funeral directors are also embalmers. Alongside your duties of preparing bodies, you will have to successfully run your funeral home. Because of this, you should have a good understanding of business.

These practical responsibilities are accompanied by emotional obligations. Your clients with be the friends and families of people have just passed away. You will need to approach these people in a tender, caring manner, without putting the success of your business at risk. Walking this line between business and emotional connections can be quite difficult. The longer you work as a funeral director, the easier this balance will be to achieve.

Almost all funeral directors have completed an apprenticeship, regardless of whether they have a degree in mortuary science. An apprenticeship offers some the highest-quality mortuary science training an aspiring funeral director can hope to have. Rather than merely listening to an instructor, you will be learning how to work in a funeral home on a daily basis.

Running a funeral home behind-the-scenes and how speak with grief-stricken people are just a couple of the things that you will gain an understanding of as an apprentice funeral director. The majority of apprenticeships last for about one year. When your apprenticeship nears its end, you will likely be able to complete certain tasks around the funeral parlor without assistance. See mortuary science. However, some things, like embalming bodies, will still require supervision. It is crucial for you to obtain the proper licensure before you complete these tasks by yourself. Completing your apprenticeship is just the first step to becoming a successful funeral director. Then, you will need to pass an exam that allows you to be licensed by your state.

 

How to Become a Mortician

The process you must undergo in order to become a funeral director, also called a mortician or undertaker, varies widely from state to state. One excellent aspect of this particular profession is that it will always be necessary. Before you enroll in a mortuary science program, though, it is important to evaluate the emotional toll this position can take on your daily life.

You will need to be able to properly console distraught friends and family members of the dead while maintaining a sense of professionalism and attending to the duties of your job. This can be incredibly difficult to balance. It is also important for you to evaluate the weekly work schedule that funeral director's generally have. Because people can die at any time, you will not always be able to work a standard shift. For example, your presence will likely be required at the funeral home on certain evenings, weekends, and holidays.

After evaluating the pros and cons of the career path, if you have decided to proceed, you should begin by going online. In particular, you should locate a website that outlines each state's procedure for becoming a mortician. This is essential since the procedures are quite different from state to state. Some states, for instance, allow individuals to become funeral directors with just a high school diploma and an apprenticeship, while others necessitate a bachelor's degree in mortuary science.

Websites that outline these requirements by state will also generally provide a list of accredited mortuary science schools in your area. If you live in a state that requires both a degree and an apprenticeship, your academic adviser will likely place you in a position at an area funeral home. If you simply need an apprenticeship in your state, you should begin calling local funeral homes until you find a funeral director who is able to take you as an apprentice.

Regardless of what your state's individual requirements are for funeral directors, you will eventually have to pass an examination to become national certified as a funeral director. Next, you can find a job as a funeral director with an existing funeral home or open your own establishment.

Keep in mind that it is challenging to start a new funeral parlor. In many regions, there are established funeral homes that have served that area's needs for many decades. Also, funeral parlors are frequently kept in the same family for years, so residents of an area often know the owners quite well and trust them. If you are not part of a family that already owns a funeral home, it is often easiest to find employment in an establishment that has existed for years.

 

The Basics of a Mortuary Science Program

Mortuary science programs offer courses that teach people how to be the best possible funeral directors. If you have decided to embark on this career path, you will be providing a necessary service no matter where you live. As a funeral director, you will have numerous responsibilities. For instance, you will need to be able to console friends and family members of deceased persons simultaneously with making sure your funeral home is running smoothly. Even though you will have to juggle many obligations, funeral directing is typically a rewarding career choice.

Every state has slightly different training requirements for becoming a funeral director. If you do not know your state's requirements, look on the internet. After you have figured out what you need to do to become licensed in your state, begin searching for a mortuary science program or apprenticeship in your area. No matter what your requirements are, the most important thing is to make sure you attend a reputable institution for your training. This will make it much easier to locate a position when you graduate.

If your state requires you to have a degree in mortuary science, there are a number of educational institutions you can look into. Many vocational schools and community colleges have associate's degree programs in mortuary science, which can be a great choice if you want to get your education in a cost-effective manner; make sure your state doesn't require a bachelor's degree before choosing this option. To complete most associate's degrees in mortuary science, you will have to complete the necessary coursework and a one-year internship program in a local funeral home.

To obtain a bachelor's degree in mortuary science, you should begin looking at programs available at public and private universities in your region. Bachelor's degree programs require more coursework than you need to get an associate's degree and generally cover a variety of liberal arts topics outside of mortuary science. Though not all bachelor's degree programs require you to complete an internship, some do necessitate this.

Regardless of whether you are studying for an associate's or bachelor's degree, the material you will learn in your mortuary science training is essentially the same. If you are obtaining a bachelor's degree, you will just learn more in-depth information about certain topics. Mortuary science training always requires students to study the history of funerals in America, ways to help grieving friends and family through their suffering, and how to effectively operate a funeral home. Students will also study the proper methods to prepare bodies for their funeral services. Embalming techniques, cremation, and putting make-up on a body will all be covered.