Funeral Director & Mortuary Services Lead

MORTICIAN: Morticians, sometimes called funeral directors, are responsible for helping families prepare the many details of a funeral. They perform embalming procedures, restorative art and engage in business management. Additionally, morticians may organize religious services, prepare obituaries, schedule ceremonies, and arrange for the burial or cremation and disposition of human remains. Morticians must have the qualities of compassion, empathy, and interpersonal skills. They help loved ones prepare memorials to honor their deceased with respect and dignity. PATHOLOGIST: A pathologist is a physician (with an M.D. or D.O. medical degree) who leads the examination of the tissue and organ samples and coordinates or communicates with the primary care physician to ultimately determine a diagnosis of disease or cause of death. Pathologists work in labs, hospitals, or morgues and help confirm disease diagnoses and causes of illness or death. There are many kinds of pathologists. There are forensic pathologists, dermatopathologists, and pathologists that specialize in blood analysis and other subspecialties. Morticians must be 21 years old and complete an accredited associate's degree in a mortuary science degree program. A mortuary science degree can be completed in as little as 24 months. Coursework includes laboratory training and a one-year internship position that includes at least 50 embalmings. Morticians are also required to pass their state's and/or national board exam and serve an apprenticeship lasting between 1-3 years. After starting work, morticians in Utah must complete 20 hours of continuing education every two years to maintain licensure. Becoming a pathologist entails one of the lengthiest education and training tracks of all physicians. Requirements include four years of undergraduate study, plus four years of medical school, plus a minimum of four to five years of post-graduate training in a pathology residency. Pathology may be a career for you if you enjoy anatomy and physiology, you prefer to work in a lab behind a microscope, rather than interfacing with patients all day, you enjoy solving mysteries or finding answers to the unknown and you are drawn to scientific, analytical, and technical investigations.