How Can I Get a Funeral Director's License?
Being a funeral director requires maintaining professional standards and complying with legal regulations. Every state has laws regulating funeral directors, which include licensing. Obtaining a funeral director's license is a multi-step process that includes meeting education and training requirements and passing board exams. Schools offering Culinary Arts degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
Requirements for a Funeral Director's License
Funeral directors must be licensed, which means you must meet the requirements set by the state in which you live. While such requirements vary, they typically include being a minimum age, meeting education standards, having the proper training and passing a licensing exam. Typically, applying for licensure also requires U.S. citizenship. Some states might require additional prerequisites, such as taking a test on communicable diseases.
Education
Most funeral service or mortuary science programs lead to an associate's degree. It's recommended that you enroll in a program that has been accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) to ensure proper training. These programs introduce you to science topics pertinent to funeral directors, including microbiology and anatomy. You also learn embalming and restorative arts techniques and methods. In addition to science courses, you explore business and funeral service laws and ethics, management principles and accounting; in psychology classes, you study grief and death counseling.
Apprenticeship Requirements
Practical training and experience from an apprenticeship is usually part of state requirements. Either form of training must be done under the supervision of a licensed funeral director. In most instances, you're required to have completed a funeral service or mortuary science degree program before entering an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships typically last one year and usually involve completing a minimum number of funeral services or cases. Most commonly, 25 cases must be completed during the span of the apprenticeship.
Examination
There is a national exam available through the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining, also known as the Conference. Some states' exams may also be administered through the Conference. Exams may cover state-specific laws and regulations. Exams also usually cover two broad areas of funeral service: arts and sciences. The arts section covers law, psychology, business, accounting and management. Microbiology, restorative arts, chemistry and anatomy are tested in the science section.
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