Mortuary Technician Job Description
As a mortuary technician, individuals are primarily responsible for the care of deceased persons from transportation at time of death, to the preparation and burial, or cremation of the deceased, depending on state laws. Unlike other job requirements, kindness and compassion is a must for the deceased and their families.
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Training and Education
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Many funeral homes require mortuary technicians to complete an apprenticeship, or internship lasting one to three years, and to earn an associate degree in some form of discipline in funeral science; they must also pass a national or state board examination. It’s possible that some mortuaries will require a specific certification, or combination of certifications that will qualify you for skill sets valued in the industry.
Expectations
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As a mortuary technician, a nine-to-five-Monday-through-Friday job should not be expected. As senior level technician, you may have the privilege of remaining at the funeral home helping with other duties, but you should expect to be on-call on a regular basis for call rotation pick-up and delivery. You will most likely embalm or prepare the deceased for burial or entombment. It should also be noted that during the internship individuals will discover if they are able to routinely deal with the stress involved dealing the deceased and their grieving families.
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Considerations
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If you have difficulty expressing compassion, this is not the job for you. Jessica Koth, public relations manager for the National Association of Funeral Directors, stresses that “people interested in following this line of work should first, be able to show respect and kindness to the deceased, and be compassionate to their families.” Koth further explained that in the business “being supportive in any way possible” is their primary goal.
Other Duties
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Everything in the funeral business isn’t handling human remains. Good documentation skills are a must. Technicians must be capable of understanding local laws, and other legal matters pertaining to the legal requirements involved with burials, cremation and exceptions for individual faiths. Coordination abilities are also highly valued, as multi-tasking is commonplace, for example; collecting, transporting, and preparing the deceased, then attending to the family as you comply with the funeral arrangements pertaining to the last wishes of the deceased, or providing guidance to the family,(i.e. grief counseling, legal matters).
Salary
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The national average for yearly salary is $37,000, according to Simply Hired, however as experience qualifications expand there is potential for higher salaries. Salaries will vary state to state, and will likely increase in more populated metro areas.
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References
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- Photo Credit sign: funeral route image by Empath from Fotolia.com
