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Being a Mortician

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Being a Mortician

The word mortician brings what images to mind? The career of a mortician is surprisingly different than it is portraied in movies and books.
Being a mortician is a very rewarding job both personal as well as psychological to those with the temperament, training and discipline required to do the job properly. In this paper I'll be reporting the requirements to become a mortician, also called funeral director or undertaker, the duties the job requires of you, and the outlook of this career in the future of the United
States.
To become a funeral director in the United States today isn't an easy task. You need to be twenty-one, a high school graduate with some undergraduate college work, as well as at least one year of …show more content…

If the body is disfigured in any way you may be required to do some restorative procedures on the body, using materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris and wax
(Lamers 535). You would be required to fill in any open wounds left on the body by law, but would use a picture of the deceased and try to make them appear as life-like as possible for the showing (Shipley 201). "Most important, however, are the tasks in which you guide, counsel and become involved in the needs of the bereaved and the sensitive, effective manner in which you handle their personal grief"(IRN 6). When the body has been embalmed and taken care of you need to help the family choose a casket from the display room the they wish there loved one be laid in(Shipley 178). "On the actual day of the funeral service, you attend to the many, many ceremonial, logistical, and administrative details which are required to make sure that the funeral service goes smoothly and in strict accord with the wishes of the family or other survivors"(Lamers
541). "You should be prepared to suggest and arrange any type of funeral service, sacred or secular, that will best meet the needs of the bereaved. Creative, alternative ceremonies in keeping with the deceased's lifestyle can have special significance and meaning to the family. For example, close friends and relatives may be asked to participate in the service, or special

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