How Does a Mortician Spend a Workday?

Death takes no holidays; each work day for the mortician may be different.

Morticians

A mortician provides many services. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a mortician is "one whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to arrange and manage funerals." A mortician provides an important service to society. Because death cannot be predicted, each workday for the mortician may be different. Some days may be busier than others.

Transport of the Deceased

When a person passes away, the family calls the funeral home to arrange funeral services. A hospital may recommend a particular funeral home to families who are not prepared. The mortician transports the deceased body from the hospital to the funeral home. Once the body is at the funeral home, the mortician calls the family to make funeral arrangements.

Funeral Arrangements

The mortician plays a vital role in helping the family to plan for the funeral. Families are distraught and may find the task of funeral planning daunting. The mortician gently guides and assists the family through planning. There are many factors to be considered. Do they want to do a cremation or burial? What type of casket do they want to purchase? What type of burial plot do they want to purchase? Does the family want an open or closed casket funeral? When and where do they want the funeral service? Invitations have to be sent. Flowers have to be ordered. Do they want to write an obituary in the newspaper? The mortician helps the family to plan all of these aspects of the funeral.

Preparation of the Body

The mortician cremates or embalms the body (in the case of burial), according to the family's wishes. If an open casket funeral is desired, the mortician obtains a picture of the deceased person from when she was alive, so that he can prepare the body to look as closely to their living state as possible. The mortician also obtains clothing from the family that they have chosen to have the body buried in.

Other Help

The mortician may assist the family in creating invitations, flower arrangements, and in writing an obituary. Some morticians also refer family members to support groups that can help them to deal with the loss of their loved one.

The Funeral

The mortician takes an active role in the funeral service, making sure that everything goes as planned. He oversees all of the functions such as chair arrangement and flower arrangement. He supports family members emotionally and provides any other necessary service during the funeral. The goal of the mortician is to make sure that the funeral goes smoothly. The mortician also arranges for the transport of the deceased body to the funeral plot for burial.

An Important Job

The work hours for a mortician can vary. They are on call 24 hours a day. A mortician has many responsibilities. Each of them are equally important. His service to the family of the deceased is important. He provides guidance and comfort in the family's time of need. According to the American Board of Funeral Service Education, only a small percentage of the mortician's time is spent preparing the deceased body. Most of his time is spent with the family making preparations. A good mortician acts with compassion and sincerity towards his clients who are experiencing the saddest moments of their lives.

Resources

• National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, Inc.
• American Board of Funeral Service Education