Archive for the ‘Deathcare Careers’ Category

Why Should You Attend an Accredited College for a Funeral Services Career?

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Get a diploma from an accredited institution for better job opportunities.

Get a diploma from an accredited institution for better job opportunities.

Many jobs in the funeral industry seek candidates who have a college education. While seeking a higher degree is commendable for any student, the choice of attending an accredited college, especially for the funeral industry, is imperative in your path to find a job or to build a career. Why should you seek an accredited college for your funeral career, and why is it so important?

First, an accredited college is a college that seeks confirmation from an accrediting agency to approve a program, its components, and the degree or certification. The United States has no Federal Ministry of Education or other centralized authority exercising single national control over post-secondary educational institutions in this country. The States assume varying degrees of control over education, but, in general, institutions of higher education are permitted to operate with considerable independence and autonomy. As a consequence, American educational institutions can vary widely in the character and quality of their programs.

While the U.S. Department of Education does not accredit educational institutions and/or programs, the Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit. This accreditation in the U.S. serves the purpose of helping students find a reliable and recognized college as well as help to avoid “diploma mills.”

There are two basic types of educational accreditation, one identified as “institutional” and one referred to as “specialized” or “programmatic.” Institutional accreditation normally applies to an entire institution, indicating that each of an institution’s parts is contributing to the achievement of the institution’s objectives, although not necessarily all at the same level of quality. Specialized or programmatic accreditation normally applies to programs, departments, or schools that are parts of an institution. The accredited unit may be as large as a college or school within a university or as small as a curriculum within a discipline.

Most of the specialized or programmatic accrediting agencies review units within an institution of higher education that is accredited by one of the regional accrediting commissions. However, certain accrediting agencies also accredit professional schools and other specialized or vocational institutions of higher education that are free-standing in their operations. Thus, a “specialized ” or “programmatic ” accrediting agency may also function in the capacity of an “institutional ” accrediting agency. In addition, a number of specialized accrediting agencies accredit educational programs within non-educational settings, such as hospitals.

In the funeral industry, the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) is the only organization in the United States which represents faculty and administrators in the field of funeral service education. Additionally, ABFSE is the sole accrediting agency for funeral service education in the U.S. recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

The ABFSE’s origins reach back to 1946 when its predecessor organization was founded as the Joint Committee on Mortuary Education by joint resolutions of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards of the United States (ICFSEB [renamed the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards in 1998]), and with the concurrence of the several associations of schools and colleges involved with funeral service/mortuary science education. The original authority of the Joint Committee included “setting up standards concerning the schools and colleges teaching mortuary science” and accrediting “schools and colleges of Mortuary Science…”

In 1959, the name of the Joint Committee on Mortuary Education was changed to its current name — the American Board of Funeral Service Education. In 1962, authority for the accreditation of all funeral service programs and institutions was assigned to ABFSE. A Commission on Schools was established within ABFSE in 1970 to deal exclusively with the accreditation of member institutions. Soon thereafter, in 1978, the Commission on Schools was changed to an autonomous, self-perpetuating committee of the ABFSE designated as the Committee on Accreditation (COA).

The COA is responsible for granting candidacy, initial accreditation, or re-accreditation to institutions of funeral service education. The minimum requirements for accreditation are that a program offer at least an associate degree, or its equivalent (i.e., 60 semester credits of a prescribed curriculum) and meet the required standards of the ABFSE. The Standards and associated policies are available on the ABFSE website (www.abfse.org). They may be accessed and downloaded by clicking on “About ABFSE” and “ABFSE Standards.”

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Educational Statistics for Funeral Services Careers

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Skull Tombstone

Over the past 40 or 50 years, there have been significant changes in the profiles of both the institutions offering funeral service education and the students studying to become funeral directors/embalmers. Who studies for a funeral service career, and how much can individuals make in this field?

Two generations ago, funeral service education was offered almost exclusively by private institutions and virtually 100 percent of the students were male and, for the most part, sons of funeral home owners. Over 90 percent of the students were Caucasian. Most programs offered a diploma or a certificate that lasted less than a year, some as little as three months.

Today, according to statistics offered by the  American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), there are approximately 6500 students enrolled in funeral service education. Approximately 2500 are new students. Approximately 90 percent of these students come from the 31 states that currently offer a program.

Today female students make up a majority (57 percent) of enrollees. White students make up approximately 66 percent of the total while African Americans are 23 percent, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Asian

Americans are up four percent, and eight percent identify themselves as from other ethnic backgrounds.

The average age of the new student has remained relatively constant over the past decade with 17-22 year-olds making up 36 percent of new students and those over 30 making up 30 percent.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual wages for funeral directors were $52,210 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $38,980 and $69,680 and the lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,910 and the top 10 percent earned more than $92,940.

Salaries of funeral directors depend on the number of years of experience in funeral service, the number of services performed, the number of facilities operated, the area of the country, and the director’s level of formal education. Funeral directors in large cities usually earn more than their counterparts in small towns and rural areas.

According to BLS, funeral directors held about 22,000 wage-and-salary jobs in 2005, but many others were self-employed. Most of the self-employment positions are in small family-run funeral homes. BLS projects employment of funeral directors is expected to increase by 12 percent during the 2008-18 decade. As more people opt for cremation, some of the services that funeral directors provide, such as embalming, are less needed. Projected job growth reflects growth in the death care services industry overall due to the aging of the population.

Additionally, many funeral directors now offer a wider range of services—such as the creation of video tributes—to help people say goodbye to their loved ones in special ways. And several thousand jobs will be available to replace workers who leave the occupation permanently. Funeral directors are older, on average, than workers in most other occupations and are expected to retire in greater numbers over the coming decade. In addition, some funeral directors leave the profession because of the long and irregular hours. Job prospects may also be better for some mortuary science graduates who can relocate to get a job.

These employment opportunities tend to be best for workers who are willing to relocate or for those in large metropolitan areas. However, according to the American Board of Funeral Service Education, on a national basis there are generally more jobs available than there are licensed funeral directors to fill them. This availability varies from region to region and from town to town. Funeral service is a profession that most people enter only after having had positive personal experience and not as a result of reading books or watching videos.

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Education Requirements and Licensing for the Funeral Industry

Sunday, February 21st, 2010
Columbia Funeral Home in Seattle, Washington.

Columbia Funeral Home in Seattle, Washington.

If you are seeking a career opportunity in the funeral industry, you have numerous sources available to you to learn about educational requirements and licensing. The following information includes a summary of basic educational requirements for most states. You always can contact the funeral service college or check this list of State Funeral Directors Associations at the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) to learn more about specific education guidelines for each state.

With career opportunities in over 20,000 funeral homes across the U.S., you may find a need for a well-trained funeral service professional. Demand is greater for graduates who have prepared themselves for management positions by selecting business and communications courses as part of their college program.

Generally, you will need:

  • A high school diploma or equivalent (GED).
  • An Associate Degree, or its credit hour equivalent, a portion of which is in funeral service education, from an accredited educational institution.
  • Passing a state and/or national board licensing examination.
  • An internship or apprenticeship ranging from one to three years.
  • Many states require that funeral directors meet continuing education requirements to maintain licensure. (See State Boards and Licensing Requirements Information)

The funeral service curriculum, approved by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), the United States’ funeral service accrediting agency, includes courses in:

  • Public Health and Technical Area — microbiology, anatomy, chemistry, pathology, restorative art and embalming.
  • Business Management Area — business management, funeral arranging, funeral merchandising, funeral home management, computer applications, Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule and accounting.
  • Social Science Area — sociology of funeral service, psychology of grief, funeral directing, history of funeral service, communication skills and counseling.
  • Legal, Regulatory and Ethical Area — business law, funeral service law and regulation and professional ethics.

To learn more about current jobs available in the funeral industry, visit the newest jobs available list at the NFDA’s Funeral Career Center.

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Deathcare Careers: Embalmers and Education

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Early embalming tools.

Early embalming tools.

According to Gary Laderman in his book, Rest in Peace, there are no statistical data for the number of bodies embalmed in the early decades of the twentieth century. However, according to many second- and third-generation funeral directors, embalming rapidly became a standard feature of the undertaking work performed by their predecessors. Even before funeral homes existed, embalming often was practiced at the home of the deceased.

From the time of the Civil War forward, more and more funeral men began to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to be certified as embalmers from the rapidly growing number of mortuary schools around the country. Between 1900 and 1920, schools devoted to training embalmers — “students often entered a class without much college or even high school education” — appeared in cities such as Minneapolis, Los Angeles and Cleveland.

Courses in these schools normally would last roughly six weeks. But, as curriculum requirements became more rigorous, state boards began to examine and license prospective embalmers and funeral directors and the overall appearance of serious educational training became more critical for professional legitimacy. School term lengths increased and subjects such as anatomy and chemistry became crucial components of an embalmer’s education. By 1934, courses began to last for nine months.

Unfortunately, at that time, rural areas had to rely on traveling instructors, or use educational texts that covered the basics of anatomy, physiology and embalming techniques. One funeral director from 1914 detailed his experience in Laderman’s book:

“There were no embalming schools in the early days. One learned from practical men or proctors, who had learned from peripheral men who became undertakers after the close of the Civil War. In the late ’90s and the early 1900’s, short courses were offered by men will versed in mortuary practice as learned from those  who served during the Civil War. These courses were offered over a period of one month or six weeks. Then, compends…were prepared and printed for reference for the beginners, and it covered anatomy and a lot of things like that.”

Despite this lack of schooling, embalming became the “enduring signature of the nascent funeral industry, a practice at the center of the economic, cultural and religious funereal universe…” Embalming had become the lifeblood of the American funeral industry from the beginning of the twentieth century forward. Embalming was presented as a thoroughly modern practice, yet part of a new American tradition. It had religious value for the living and it was a highly technical, hygienically-beneficial intervention that required the delicate skills of an artist.

Today, formal classroom time in the art and science of embalming and restorative art remains quite short. Post-graduate learning is limited to seminars — if and when they are available. Publications for the embalmer are very scarce. the American Society of Embalmers knows of five embalming associations in the United States, only three of which serve an entire state…

Only one journal is now in regular print for embalmers — and a portion of that journal is devoted to topics for the funeral director — since this journal is a fluid manufacturer’s “house organ” a majority of the articles discusses only their products. Seminars are infrequent and not always convenient for the embalmer to attend due to the work schedule. To this writer’s knowledge there are only four embalmers trade associations in the United States (and two are within the same state) which have been in existence for over 10 years. Smaller groups possibly exist within local communities. There is an international association of embalmers with a North American division — it has made a concerted effort to provide educational opportunities for the embalmer.

Is embalming taking a back seat to current American outlooks about death, the increase in cremations and the new interest in green funerals? How do you feel about embalming, and do you feel more education in this field is necessary?

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Deathcare Careers: Medical Examiner

Friday, January 29th, 2010
Heart of a murder victim

Heart of a murder victim

The medical examiner (ME) career is an American invention that has existed for only a century. Medical examiners, for the most part, are appointed to their positions and must be licensed physicians with extensive formal training in medical and legal death investigations. Unlike a coroner, the medical examiner is expected to use his or her medical expertise to find out how a person died.

Medical examiners often visit the scenes of deaths or crimes to examine corpses and to look for evidence that the police may not recognize as being related to the cause of death. They need to determine the identity of the deceased person, the exact time of death, the manner of death and the medical cause of death. According to the Career Guide for Medical Examiner from the State of Virginia, the following tasks are required from that state’s medical examiner position:

  1. Investigate sudden and unnatural deaths.
  2. Perform forensic medicine and pathology consultations.
  3. Counsel families regarding manner and cause of death.
  4. Act as a resource for forensic pathology and general forensic science information.
  5. Testify in court to facts and conclusions disclosed by autopsies performed by the examiner, or as directed or in the presence of the examiner.
  6. Make physical examinations and tests incident to any matter of a criminal nature up for consideration before either court or district attorney when requested to do so.
  7. Perform such other duties of a pathological or medicolegal nature as may be required.
  8. Serve subpoenas requiring the attendance of witnesses at any inquest to be held by such medical examiner, or other order or writs.

Medical examiners also want to know if a weapon was used. Sometimes, weapons are not ordinarily thought of as weapons (such as baseball bats, etc.), so medical examiners need to collect this evidence along with any hair, fibers, bodily fluids and trace chemicals to help that medical examiner reconstruct the way a person died.

You must first earn a medical degree to work as a medical examiner, and your best bet would be to find a medical degree with a forensic specialty. Often, some states may require a degree in pathology as well.

While there are many different specialties involved with the job as a medical examiner, you are not expected to know everything. Medical examiners often hire forensic scientists to perform autopsies to determine the cause of a person’s death and to assist with different techniques necessary to conduct a precise and accurate investigation.

However, if you know where you’d like to live and work, you might learn more about that locality’s requirements for a medical examiner. For instance, Anoka County, Minnesota requires that their medical examiners:

While these requirements are specific to this particular Minnesota county, you may find that their specifications would be a benefit to any medical examiner’s job throughout the U.S.

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Funeral Director Fatigue Syndrome

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

Balance work with life.

Are you a funeral director, or do you know one who seems cynical, who is lacking in energy and who seems depressed at times? One of the lessons that I learned as an alcoholism and drug counselor is that the “helpers often need help.” The reason behind this adage is the company that caregivers keep — a funeral home is a business, but that business can cause burnout as well.

What are the signs of this burnout, or funeral director fatigue syndrome? Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt outlines this syndrome in his book, Funeral Home Customer Service A-Z: Creating Exceptional Experiences for Today’s Families. His list of symptoms are based upon psychologist Christina Maslach’s signs of burnout, and he poses the symptoms as a list of questions in a survey:

  • Do you generally feel fatigued and lacking in energy?
  • Are you getting irritable, impatient and angry with people around you (home and/or work)?
  • Do you feel cynical toward and detached from the families you serve?
  • Do you suffer from mroe than your share of physical complaints, such as headaches, stomachaches, backaches and long-lasting cols?
  • Do you generally feel depressed or notice sudden fluctuations in your moods?
  • do you feel busy, yet have a sense that you don’t accomplish much at all?
  • Do you have difficulty concentrating or remembering?
  • Do you think you have to be the one to help all bereaved families that come through your door?
  • Do you feel less of a sense of satisfaction about your helping efforts than you have in the past?
  • Do you feel that you just don’t have anything more to give?

According to Dr. Wolfelt, if you answered “yes” to 2-4 of those questions, you may be in the early phases of funeral director fatigue syndrome. If you answered “yes” to 5-7 questions, you are moving quickly into the direction of total fatique. if you answered “yes” to eight or more questions, you are, without a doubt, burned out!

Unfortunately, Dr. Wolfelt does not provide a solution to this problem. But, you can read more about this issue at Caregiver Burnout, an article at Caregiver.com. Some of their strategies for dealing with burnout include staying fit, consulting with other professionals and pampering yourself on occasion.

The thing to remember is that you may not recognize that you are in the grips of burnout until it’s too late. Be open to what others say to you, especially if you know that person is someone who cares about your and your well being.

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Virginians Have Access to Training at Well-Known Department of Forensic Science

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

Virginia Forensic Science Academy Logo

The Department of Forensic Science (DFS) is a nationally accredited forensic laboratory system serving all of Virginia’s state and local law enforcement agencies, medical examiners, and Commonwealth’s Attorneys. Their examiners provide technical assistance and training, evaluate and analyze evidence, interpret results, and provide expert testimony related to the full spectrum of physical evidence recovered from crime scenes. According to the Web site:

The Forensic Training Section services the entire Criminal Justice System and in particular, over ten thousand law enforcement officers throughout the Commonwealth. Each year, approximately 20-30 programs of varying length and complexity are offered and about 600 – 700 officers are exposed to technical training. This training concerns the many services offered by the forensic laboratory of the Department of Forensic Science, so that the laboratory value of evidence discovered at a crime scene will be recognized and that the evidence will be properly handled.

Training Section also has the responsibility of the Virginia Forensic Science Academy, a 10-week school of crime scene technology. After successfully completing the 10-week course, the law enforcement officers should be able to demonstrate proper techniques of locating, recognizing and collecting items of physical evidence. They should also be able to preserve items of physical evidence, recognize the laboratory potential of examining physical evidence, properly package and submit physical evidence, and interpret a crime scene to develop a profile of a possible suspect.

Each year, Academy graduates are invited to attend a three-day retraining seminar to keep them abreast of changes in the areas of forensic science and evidence handling. In addition, one day workshops are presented to review problem areas involving physical evidence collection and to present case studies which illustrate evidence handling approaches and techniques.

Once a student has completed the courses, they have a choice of becoming active with the Forensic Science Adadamy Alumni Association. The goals of this organization are to bolster the work of the Forensic Science Academy as well as to encourage high standards of conduct by all crime scene processors.

The Department of Forensic Science is jointly involved with the Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) forensic science programs. VCU offers both a B.S. and a M.S. in forensic science. The Master of Science in Forensic Science is one of only 15 of its kind in the United States and the lecture/laboratory courses are taught at the DFS Central Laboratory. More information about both programs can be found at http://www.has.vcu.edu/forensics.

For additional information on education opportunities and a career brochure visit the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Web site.

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Deathcare Careers: Funeral Director

Saturday, January 9th, 2010
Cross and flowers

Cross and flowers

You may already realize that careers in the funeral industry may grow with the aging of the Baby Boomer generation. In fact, there may not be enough qualified funeral personnel to handle the anticipated death rate in the future as funeral home personnel also age and retire. If you’re aiming for the top in the funeral business, a look at what a Funeral Director does, what he or she makes and the training required might be in order.

Job Description

The funeral director generally handles funeral home management, which may or may not include family counseling, insurance-related matters, record keeping as well as some funeral responsibilities such as help with funeral planning and burial management.

Funeral directors often keep long and/or irregular hours, as no one can plan for death. Expect an “on call” position to respond to deaths as they occur, as well as a need to travel to pick up bodies or to travel with a body to an out-of-town burial. The job requires a sensitivity in dealing with family members, good business acumen and an ability to spend long hours on your feet or traveling.

Funeral homes often look for managers and directors with experience and who can wear many hats. The more funeral home experience and training that you have under your belt, the better. If you can pitch in to help with embalming, body preparation for cremation or for open-casket viewing or with sales, the better.

Training

Mortuary science programs provide all the training you may need to operate as a funeral home director. These programs, which often last between two and four years, can provide a firm foundation for your career. The higher the degree, the faster your chances of climbing to the top of your career upon graduation. Most of these programs include courses such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, business management, embalming techniques, grief counseling and funeral service law.

Funeral directors also must be licensed within the state of practice to work. Each state carries individual licensing programs, and some states may require separate licensure for embalmers and for funeral directors. Most licenses require a written exam.

Many states also require that funeral industry personnel take continuing education classes and attend training each year to renew their licenses.

Salaries and Job Availability

Budding funeral directors may discover that the best chance to obtain a job is with larger funeral homes, usually located in urban areas. While you might be tempted to start your own funeral home business, this type of business usually becomes more successful once you have several years of experience behind you. Besides beginning salaries are not shabby.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, funeral directors held about 30,000 jobs in 2008. About 13 percent were self-employed. Nearly all worked in the death care services industry. Median annual wages for funeral directors were $52,210 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $38,980 and $69,680. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $29,910 and the top 10 percent earned more than $92,940.

As with any career, salaries often depend upon the number of years of experience on the job, the number of services performed, the area of the country, education level and a great reputation in previous jobs. Funeral directors in urban areas usually earn more than their counterparts in rural areas, and the ability to embalm provides a higher salary as well.

To learn more about a career as a funeral director, visit the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) or the American Board of Funeral Service Education.

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What are Coroners and What do They Do?

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
A Coroner at a Crime Scene
A Coroner at a Crime Scene

Have you wondered what a coroner does and how that job might differ from a medical examiner? The office of the coroner, or “crowner,” dates back to medieval times when the crowner was responsible for making sure that death duties were paid to the King.

Today, the coroner’s main duty is to inquire into deaths and complete death certificates. In all cases, coroners/crowners investigate unusual deaths.The position of coroner predates that of the medical examiner, but the latter position replaced the coroner in many instances during the late nineteenth century in the states. The medical examiner, unlike the inexperienced coroner at that time, was and is a physician or a person with medical education and experience. Coroners relied on hiring physicians pathologists or forensic pathologists to perform autopsies when deaths were suspected as foul play.

While some states still use the elected coroner system (and many coroners today are physicians), those same states and other non-coroner states may also use medical examiners. In England, where the coroner’s occupation originated, coroners are doctors or lawyers who are responsible for investigating deaths and who also can arrange for post-morten examinations of the body.

Indiana maintains a site specifically for that state’s county coroners, where they state that, “Because Indiana coroners come from such varied backgrounds and have such varied professional preparation and education, we have assumed that very few people know absolutely everything necessary to perform the duties of the Coroner.” Their guidebook illustrates the tasks that any non-specialist can follow to work as a county coroner in that state.

Genealogists often research coroners’ records to learn more about their ancestors’ deaths. These records may have contained information about the deceased and how that person died, but those records also could contain information about the deceased’s personal belongings, especially those that were found on the body. Coroner and medical examiner files usually are open to the public, but some courthouses or medical offices may ask for legitimate reasons to examine certain records. Many older reports have been microfilmed and are available through the Family History Library of through its many branches.

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