IS FUNERAL DIRECTING FOR YOU?
Are you interested in:
- Helping Others?
- The Human Biological Sciences?
- Community Involvement?
- A Business Environment?
A Funeral Service Professional:
- Works with the bereaved, providing sensitive, effective intervention during a time of emotional need.
- Is a professional caregiver who enables families and communities to express their concern for life and the living.
- Is a motivated man or woman who practises a unique vocation and who is legally required to possess certain professional qualifications.
- Is involved in a variety of activities within the community.
- Carries out administrative and logistical tasks required by law, custom and accepted practise.
Duties and responsibilities of a funeral service professional:
- Provides support to the bereaved during initial stages of their grief.
- Arranges and directs funeral ceremonies.
- Arranges for removal of the deceased from the place of death.
- Prepares the body according to the wishes of the survivors and requirements of the law.
- Secures information for legal documents.
- Files death certificates and other legal papers.
- Assists survivors with details for filing claims for death benefits.
- Helps individuals adapt to changes in their lives following a death through post-death counselling and support group activities.
Why should you enter funeral service?
- You are a caregiver who desires to serve others.
- You believe that ceremony is an effective means of expressing feelings and meeting needs.
- You are tolerant of ways in which people of different faiths and cultures express their feelings and practise their beliefs.
- You are interested in the technical sciences.
- You exhibit sensitivity and compassion for those with whom you are in contact.
- You are interested in learning all aspects of a business.
Educational Requirements
The following is a summary of basic educational requirements for most states. Please contact the funeral service college of your choice for specific education guidelines.
- A high school diploma or equivalent.
- Passing a provincial board licensing examination.
- An internship or apprenticeship ranging from one to three years.
- Many provinces require that funeral directors meet continuing education requirements to maintain licensure.
The funeral service curriculum, approved by the 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 counselling.
- Legal, Regulatory and Ethical Area - business law, funeral service law and regulation and professional ethics.
Career opportunities
With over 1000 funeral homes in Canada, there is always a need for well trained funeral service professionals.