CAREER ADVICE

The Final Caring Service 

If you are open, honest, organized, have the ability to listen, be compassionate, are attentive and responsive to needs, perhaps you should consider a career in the funeral sector.  Mr. John Linge, President of Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, identified these “soft” skills as being especially necessary to be a successful mortician, embalmer and funeral director. 

In addition to possessing the special skills identified above, high school students who are interested in pursing this specialized work must focus on the sciences in preparing for further education.  Math skills are also essential.  An Associate of Arts degree from a two-year pre-mortuary school is the first step after high school.  After that, pre-approval from the Iowa Board of Mortuary Examiners must be received before attending an accredited mortuary school.  The State of Iowa also requires that funeral directors/embalmers be licensed with the state.  These licenses must be renewed every two years.  Specialized training will include embalming, chemistry, anatomy and physiology, biology, psychology, pathology, English, mortuary law, microbiology restorative art, accounting and sociology. 

After graduating from an accredited mortuary school, the future mortician must participate in a one-year apprenticeship under the supervision of a preceptor.  During this time the apprentice must submit 25 embalming cases and 25 funeral director cases to the Iowa Board of Mortuary Science Examiners for their review.  The state may also require additional examination beyond the national examination that is accepted by the state.  In addition, during each two-year license period, a minimum of 24 hours of continuing education is required to maintain the license to practice.  

As with nearly all careers, computer skills are necessary.  Proficiency with word processing, spreadsheets and e-mail are all vital to the services of a funeral director.  Even with computers, there is quite a bit of paperwork involved.  This paperwork includes submitting papers to the State so that a formal certificate of death can be issued.  In addition, funeral directors will assist the grieving family with such things as veteran’s burial benefits, Social Security Administration regulations and insurance policy benefits.  Good penmanship and communication skills are a must.  Basic good body tone is helpful.  Because of the nature of the work, there is some lifting associated with the job; the lifting would not preclude a woman from performing any of the tasks.  There are many burial rituals within our society.  People who are working with funerals must be cognizant of each family’s burial customs and provide for them so that the family may begin the healing process responsibly. 

Providers of funeral services must be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year round.  The job is generally divided between days and nights.  Funeral directors typically work every other weekend, with weekends consisting of Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.  Because of the essential nature of the work, morticians, embalmers and funeral directors are on call.  Modern progressive funeral homes understand the need for work schedules that allow adequate time off for employees, yet never leave the funeral home understaffed.  

When asked what was special about being in the funeral business, Mr. Linge said “The ability to help a grieving family through a difficult time and to assist them in creating a memorable and dignified service for their loved one can be very rewarding.  Knowing that a family is taking the right steps towards the healing in itself is rewarding.” 

Positions within management, pre-need and community service are often available.  A career in the funeral service business involves a host of diverse functions that allow individuals to specialize in particular areas of interest.  The employment outlook is good.  The “graying” of America will demand quality, licensed staff to attend to families’ needs.  According to the 2000-01 issue of the “Occupational Outlook Handbook” which is a publication of the U.S. government, the need for funeral directors is expected to be steady into at least the year 2008.  Earnings vary widely based on many factors such as the number of services offered, years of experience, the area of the country and size of the community. 

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