A Day in the Life of a Mortician

Mortician

What is a mortician? When it comes to this profession, a mortician will have to wear a number of different hats. Morticians work in funeral homes, embalming bodies and actually preparing the service (“Work Environment”). From make up to dress up, they do it all. Morticians go through many obstacles and dedicate so much of their time; these are the reasons why many people would turn away from this occupation (“Work Environment”).

The actual practice of embalming did not surface until the Civil War from 1861-1865, where 600,000 soldiers were killed (McMahon). During this time, Dr. Thomas Holmes was well known and named “Father of Modern Embalming” because he embalmed over 4,000 bodies during the Civil War (McMahon). Dr. Richard Burr, who was also prominent during the civil war era, designed the arterial embalming structure which makes the process easier and faster (McMahon). Both of these men had a large influence during the Civil War movement, but when the war was over the undertakers then took over (McMahon). New things were created, and the embalming process developed quickly later on bringing the study of Mortuary Science (McMahon). The Civil War was the stepping stone for the embalming world, because before the war if someone died, family members were there to prepare the body and most likely keep it in the coldest room of the house (McMahon). With embalming on the rise, ministers felt that it would create a fascination of body over soul (McMahon).

Embalming is an involved process. First and foremost everything is to be removed from the body but even before that is done; they log in what they do have on them, even down to the cuts and bruises (“Mortician”). The mortician then begins to remove hair such as pea...

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...through their rough time. For this profession, good speaking, social perceptiveness, and being an active listener are good skills to have (“Working Conditions”).

Before a person can become a mortician there are certain requirements that need to be reached in order to become an undertaker. The minimum standards are to acquire a high school diploma along with one to two years of mortuary school (“Funeral Directors”). Business and communication courses are suggested to take by benefiting morticians in their careers. The next step in the process is completing an apprenticeship; the internship should last for one to three years and can be completed anytime during the education process. Passing the licensing exam is the next big step for a rising mortician to accomplish; topics covered in the exam are pathology, microbiology, anatomy and much more (“Funeral Directors”).