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Empathy is an integral part of our human nature. It is a skill ingrained in us, but it can also be learned and improved upon. Explore ways to develop your empathy and be more successful in life.

Watch a TED Talk about empathy.

Interested in becoming a funeral director or mortician? Do some research on the schools that offer a degree in mortuary science. What are the requirements? 

Research the best schools for mortuary science. 

Reach out to a funeral director or mortician in your area and see if you could interview them about their job. Ask about their path, goals, inspiration, recommendations, etc.

Interview a funeral director.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Embalmers

Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Personal Care and Service Occupations

Funeral Service Workers

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.

Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.

Close incisions, using needles and sutures.

Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.

Clean and disinfect areas in which bodies are prepared and embalmed.

Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.

Remove the deceased from place of death and transport to funeral home.

Perform the duties of funeral directors, including coordinating funeral activities.

Microsoft Word

Belmar & Associates Mortware

Custom Data Systems Sterling Management Software

HMIS Advantage

Twin Tier Technologies MIMS

Microsoft Excel

Corel WordPerfect Office Suite

Microsoft Office software

Web browser software

Angular forceps

Fixation forceps

Thumb forceps

Tube occluding forceps

Blending brushes

Cosmetic brushes

Powder dusting brushes

Tinting brushes

Arm and hand positioners

Body positioners

Head rests

Lower body positioners

Axillary drain tubes

Femoral drain tubes

Iliac drain tubes

Jugular drain tubes

Carotid tubes

Curved arterial tubes

Infant arterial tubes

Straight arterial tubes

Iris scissors

Lister bandage scissors

Mayo scissors

Straight surgical scissors

Embalming bulb syringes

Embalming syringes

Gravity injectors

Casket lifters

Hydraulic body lifts

Mortuary lifts

Nasal tube aspirators

Non-clogging post aspirators

Electric mortuary aspirators

Hydro-electric aspirators

Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Every day

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

Once a week or more but not every day

How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?

Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results

Very important results

Important results

How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

Extremely important

Very important

How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Contact with others most of the time

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Embalmers

Overview

Career

What Embalmers Do

Other Job Titles Embalmers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Embalmers

Overview

Career

What Embalmers Do

Other Job Titles Embalmers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Embalmers

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders