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Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a mortician. Feel free to use our mortician job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a mortician.

 

Who is a Mortician?

A mortician is an important and useful component of society. While others may find their employment to be depressing, these professionals have incredibly gratifying jobs. Every day, these workers assist families during some of their most vulnerable and trying times. They assist loved ones in working through loss, taking walks down memory lane, and planning beautiful monuments for their loved ones who have passed away.

Morticians often assist families in planning the specifics of a funeral. They plan clergy services, write obituaries, schedule ceremonies, and manage burial or cremation arrangements. These are the critical elements that are sometimes too difficult for family members to manage, but morticians can help.

 

When bereaved families need help, morticians often act as a shoulder to cry on, similar to a counselor. In addition to the foregoing, morticians may prepare bodies for burial or cremation, which is where the “science” of mortuary work comes in.

Traditionally, morticians were exclusively responsible for preparing the body for burial. However, since funeral homes have become more compact, most modern morticians now deal with the deceased’s friends and family members in addition to preparing and managing funerals. Morticians are now commonly referred to as funeral directors as their function has grown.

A mortician’s principal purpose is to pay tribute to a departed person’s life. Second, they assist the family in commemorating their lives. Morticians may function as counselors for those grieving their loss, and they may also offer grief therapy for off-season deaths, due to the unique nature of their employment.

Morticians have a lot of work opportunities. Funeral services will always be required to be planned and carried out. Because of the growing population, these services will likely become even more in demand in the future. The fact that the population’s average age is rising predicts that morticians will be in high demand.

Some morticians seek to become self-employed and create their own funeral homes to increase their profits. Building a business based on a lifetime’s labor can be a terrific way to generate extra money while also gaining significant job satisfaction.

Morticians will work mostly in funeral homes. They will spend a lot of their time at funeral services, which will need them to go to the venue where the funeral ceremony is being held. Usually, this is a church or another center of worship. Liaising with grieving relatives is part of the job description. This can be difficult because losing a loved one is a traumatic process, and people sometimes vent their frustrations on the mortician.

 

Mortician Job Description

Below are the mortician job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a mortician job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.

• Meet with clients to discuss services and make arrangements for funerals, cremations, and interments.
• Provide pricing information to clients and create contracts.
• Organize transportation for the deceased to the funeral home.
• Obtain, embalming, and funeral-related documentation and permits from a variety of sources.
• Maintain the cleanliness of the equipment and the preparation area.
• Organize funeral flowers, religious leaders, and pallbearers.
• Embalm and prepare the deceased for private viewing.
• Provide the deceased person’s family and friends with assistance and information about funeral service options
• Assist people in making their funeral arrangements
• Organize the deceased’s or loved ones’ requests for burial or cremation, including booking the process and arranging transportation for the body.
• Obtain and file death certificates and other legal documents
• Organize burials.
• Collaborate with the crematory
• Organize transportation for both the body and the mourners
• Obtain a death certificate from the government via submitting documents.
• Provide emotional support to the deceased’s family and loved ones
• Process and finish the Assignment of Proceeds Claims and payment as required by Life Insurance providers.
• Communicate with insurance providers to secure death benefits for the deceased’s families.
• Assist families in negotiating with multiple insurance carriers to guarantee that payments are made.
• Obtain critical information and authorizations, as well as vital statistics for the death certificate.
• Gather vital statistics on death certificates from families.
• Oversaw and train new apprentices, as well as ordered items and all prep room supplies for the funeral home daily.
• Order all of the prep room’s materials, as well as inventory.
• Determine prices for services or merchandise and supplies for the prep room are procured.
• Ensure that the preparation room and facilities are kept in good working order.
• Assist in the preparation room and assist with funerals.
• Administer death certificates and other legal paperwork.
• Consult with family members to gather information for legal documents such as death certificates and burial permits.

 

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in mortuary science or embalming is required.
• A valid state license.
• 2+ years of mortician experience is required.
• A valid driver’s license is required.
• Understanding of many religions, civilizations, and traditions.
• Exceptional Communication abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Exceptional organizational abilities.
• The ability to concentrate for long periods.
• Strong and skillful in the physical sense.

 

Essential Skills

• Open-mindedness: Death traditions differ from one country to the next and from one family to the next. Morticians must respect the deceased’s and loved ones’ desires and work with them to construct the funeral ceremony they desire, without passing judgment.
• Time management: When it comes to burial or cremating their loved ones, most people do not want to wait long. To ensure that multiple clients receive prompt and quality funeral services, morticians must work efficiently and prioritize chores.
• Interpersonal skill: Making decisions about death and funeral arrangements can be difficult for those nearing the end of their lives, as well as the deceased’s relatives and friends. Morticians help these folks make the plans they need by using subtlety, tolerance, and a reassuring approach.
• Verbal communication: When performing funeral ceremonies, morticians must communicate confidently and respectfully. They can provide the greatest services for their mourning clients if they have good verbal communication abilities.
• Technical skill: Morticians employ their technical talents when embalming and executing restorative treatments to ensure that bodies are displayed in the best possible light.
• Compassion: Morticians use their compassion to help families and close friends who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
• Counseling Techniques: Morticians are not trained counselors, but they work with distressed people who may be crying out for assistance. Morticians receive psychology of grief and bereavement counseling training after completing an American Board of Funeral Service Education-approved program. This enables morticians to assist people at difficult times in the grieving process.
• Competencies in Business: Many morticians take over the management of a funeral parlor. This means that, in addition to caring for bodies, morticians can also be in charge of a funeral home’s business operations. As a result, morticians must have strong commercial abilities. Small-company management, bookkeeping, and computer skills are among the basic business skills taught in American Board of Funeral Service Education-approved programs.
• Scientific Capabilities: Morticians must be well-versed in science. A general understanding of science, such as chemistry, microbiology, and anatomy, is required. It also incorporates morticians’ specific scientific talents, such as embalming and restorative arts. When morticians complete a mortuary-science program certified by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, they learn these abilities.
• Empathy: Empathy is the ability to perceive, share, and comprehend the feelings of another person. In the case of a mortician, empathy should be shown not just to other employees or colleagues, but also to clients who have lost a loved one. Empathy will help you comprehend people’s feelings and make it easier for you to sell a high-quality funeral service where consumers don’t feel like you’re exploiting them at a vulnerable moment. You don’t have to comprehend someone’s pain all of the time, but you should be able to validate their feelings and sympathize with their situation.
• Strategic abilities: The greatest way to address an issue is to avoid it in the first place. Your strategic thinking abilities will aid you in establishing priorities for your funeral home, developing a plan of action, and anticipating mistakes and difficulties that may have been prevented with proper planning. A tip: learn to tell the difference between urgent and significant situations.
• Discipline: A mortician is in charge of overseeing and organizing the funeral home’s activities. This job necessitates a great lot of self-control. Tools like the classic diary, a list of daily tasks, and a sensible calendar with excellent time management can help you. Begin by trying to live an orderly life as possible; your discipline will help you keep order at work. Don’t forget to concentrate on the details.
• Leadership: Being a good leader is one of the most important qualities of a mortician. You must be able to assemble and lead a group toward a common goal. As a skilled coach, this also entails the capacity to motivate people and the ability to discern their faults and strengths to enhance the positive aspects. Furthermore, good leadership breeds trust. Your team will unwaveringly support you in achieving the objective you have set for yourself.

 

How to Become a Mortician

• Educate yourself: The minimal educational qualification for morticians is an associate’s degree in funeral service or mortuary science from an ABFSE-accredited institution. If you want to work as a funeral director, you should continue your education and get a bachelor’s degree.

An associate’s degree in funeral service or mortuary science is required for morticians. Students interested in becoming morticians should study biology, chemistry, and business in high school.

An associate’s degree from the American Board of Funeral Service Education is required for aspiring morticians (ABFSE). These are typically two-year courses that can be completed in community colleges. Restorative and embalming procedures, grief counseling, anatomy, how to run a funeral service, mourning ethics, and business law are all taught to students.

• Obtain appropriate employment experience: Working as a trainee or intern at a funeral home can help you become more at ease with funeral processes. A funeral director or funeral manager will supervise your work at the funeral home, including embalming bodies, educating family members and friends about their service options, and other duties. As you proceed through your one- to three-year training program, you should expect to be given increasing responsibilities.
• Obtain a license to provide funeral services: To work as a mortician in most states, you’ll need a funeral service license. To obtain this certification, you must pass the necessary state and/or national International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards exam for your state.
• Make a resume for yourself: Your CV should include your greatest level of education, training, knowledge, and experience that qualifies you to work as a mortician. Make sure your CV is professional and short, with only the most pertinent information contained.
• Make an application to funeral houses: You’re ready to become a mortician after completing your schooling and working in a funeral home. Send your CV along with a cover letter that explains why you are a good fit for the funeral homes where you want to work. Even if there are no listed positions, you may have the best chance of landing a job at a funeral home where you previously worked.

 

Pursuing a career in mortuary science and funeral service is an exciting adventure. It’s understandable why this role requires so much time and effort. morticians have several hats to wear. They are also counselors, assisting individuals through their worst days, in addition to these titles. They are masters in the arts and sciences of healing. They are also business managers, assisting in the operation of funeral homes and the creation of unique services for each family in need.

 

Where to Work as Mortician

Morticians work primarily in funeral homes. Some of them work as independent contractors. In this case, they will have to source for clients themselves. However, once established, clients do come to them either through referrals or on their own.

 

Mortician Salary Scale

In the United States, the average compensation for morticians is $52,000 per year. Morticians who are just starting might expect to earn between $20,000 and $30,000 per year, while experienced morticians with their practice can expect to earn more than $90,000 per year. The amount of money a mortician makes is mostly determined by the number of funeral services provided and whether or not the mortician also works as an embalmer.

In the United Kingdom, the average wage for a Mortician is £38,647 per year and £19 per hour. A Mortician’s average compensation ranges from £27,364 to £47,848 per year. A Mortician’s greatest degree of schooling is typically an Associate Degree.

 

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