Funeral Science

It's not an easy or particularly lucrative way to make a living: daily tasks of morticians and their assistants include removing bodily fluids, filling in crow's feet on cadavers and fluffing hair on balding corpses. They must have the skills to counsel grieving families and prepare the bodies of children.

And for that, US funeral directors earned an average of $58,810, according to the latest estimates in May 2008 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS also indicated "In addition to employment growth, the need to replace funeral directors who retire or leave the occupation for other reasons will provide a number of job opportunities. Funeral directors are older, on average, than workers in most other occupations and are expected to retire in greater numbers over the coming decade."

Stephanie Kann, program director at the Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Illinois, said interest in mortuary science historically has spiked when the unemployment rate hits 8 percent. It saw a 20 percent increase this year over last.

It's a job that's not always easy to love. A young mortician's firsts in funeral science - first embalming, first car-crash victim - can be terrifying.

Entry-level positions can require new morticians to be available 24 hours a day to coordinate with clergy, meet families, organize memorial books and sort out death certificates.

Those new to the industry say it can be difficult for older funeral directors to adapt to the call for technological advances like video memorial services, online guest books and live webcasting.

The University of Minnesota graduates about 30 students a year from its mortuary science program. Minnesota is one of only two states that require a four-year college degree to practice. Most states require just two years.

Source: Associated Press, 9/8/09