What You'll Do

  • Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
  • Apply cosmetics to impart lifelike appearance to the deceased.
  • Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
  • Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
  • Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.
  • Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.
  • Dress bodies and place them in caskets.
  • Perform the duties of funeral directors, including coordinating funeral activities.
  • Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
  • Conduct interviews to arrange for the preparation of obituary notices, to assist with the selection of caskets or urns, and to determine the location and time of burials or cremations.

Essential Skills

Speaking 3.88/5
Active Listening 3.75/5
Writing 3.12/5
Critical Thinking 3.12/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.12/5
Service Orientation 3.12/5
Time Management 3.12/5
Reading Comprehension 3.0/5
Active Learning 3.0/5
Monitoring 3.0/5
Coordination 3.0/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.0/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.

Common styles

Dependability, Integrity, Self-Control, Attention to Detail, Concern for Others

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Near Vision 4.0/5
Oral Comprehension 3.62/5
Problem Sensitivity 3.62/5
Oral Expression 3.38/5
Arm-Hand Steadiness 3.38/5
Speech Recognition 3.38/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.25/5
Information Ordering 3.25/5

Technologies & Tools

Belmar & Associates Mortware Corel WordPerfect Office Suite Custom Data Systems Sterling Management Software FPA Software MACCS HMIS Advantage Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Word Twin Tier Technologies MIMS Web browser software

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Dependability (High importance: 4.67/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.67/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 4.63/5)
  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.62/5)
  • Concern for Others (High importance: 4.6/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Anatomical Embalmer Arterial Embalmer Embalmer Funeral Embalmer Funeral Services Embalmer Licensed Embalmer Restorative Art Embalmer Trade Embalmer