39-4011.00 - Embalmers

Updated 2012

Summary Report for:
39-4011.00 - Embalmers

Prepare bodies for interment in conformity with legal requirements.

Sample of reported job titles: Embalmer, Mortician, Licensed Embalmer, Apprentice Embalmer, Preparation Room Manager, Funeral Service Licensee

View report: Summary Details Custom

Tasks

Dress bodies and place them in caskets.
Conform to laws of health and sanitation and ensure that legal requirements concerning embalming are met.
Close incisions, using needles and sutures.
Attach trocar to pump-tube, start pump, and repeat probing to force embalming fluid into organs.
Wash and dry bodies, using germicidal soap and towels or hot air dryers.
Incise stomach and abdominal walls and probe internal organs, using trocar, to withdraw blood and waste matter from organs.
Join lips, using needles and thread or wire.
Reshape or reconstruct disfigured or maimed bodies when necessary, using dermasurgery techniques and materials such as clay, cotton, plaster of Paris, and wax.
Pack body orifices with cotton saturated with embalming fluid to prevent escape of gases or waste matter.
Make incisions in arms or thighs and drain blood from circulatory system and replace it with embalming fluid, using pump.

Tools & Technology

Tools used in this occupation:

Embalming injecting tubes — Carotid tubes; Curved arterial tubes; Infant arterial tubes; Straight arterial tubes

Embalming vein drainage tubes — Axillary drain tubes; Femoral drain tubes; Iliac drain tubes; Jugular drain tubes

Floor grade forceps or hemostats — Angular forceps; Curved Kelly forceps; Thumb forceps; Tube occluding forceps

Makeup kits — Blending brushes; Cosmetic brushes; Powder dusting brushes; Tinting brushes

Operating room patient positioning devices or accessories — Arm and hand positioners; Body positioners; Head rests; Lower body positioners

Technology used in this occupation:

Data base user interface and query software — FPA Software MACCS; HMIS Advantage

Office suite software — Microsoft Office software

Project management software — Belmar & Associates Mortware; Custom Computer Software Funeral Director 2000; Custom Data Systems Sterling Enterprise Management Software; Twin Tier Technologies MIMS

Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel

Word processing software — Corel WordPerfect software; Microsoft Word

Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service — 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.

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

Chemistry — 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.

Administration and Management — 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.

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

Psychology — 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.

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

Philosophy and Theology — 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.

Economics and Accounting — Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Skills

Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening — 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.

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

Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.

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

Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Abilities

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

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

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

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

Manual Dexterity — The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

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

Arm-Hand Steadiness — The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Finger Dexterity — The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

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

Information Ordering — 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).

Work Activities

Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Handling and Moving Objects — Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

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

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

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

Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Work Context

Contact With Others — 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?

Frequency of Decision Making — How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate — How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Freedom to Make Decisions — How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results — How do the decisions an employee makes impact the results of co-workers, clients or the company?

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

Structured versus Unstructured Work — To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?

Exposed to Contaminants — How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?

Exposed to Disease or Infections — How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?

Job Zone

Title	Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Education	Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related Experience	Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job Training	Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Job Zone Examples	These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include food service managers, electricians, agricultural technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.
SVP Range	(6.0 to < 7.0)

There is 1 recognized apprenticeable specialty associated with this occupation:
Embalmer

To learn about specific apprenticeship opportunities, please consult the U.S. Department of Labor State Apprenticeship Information website.

For general information about apprenticeships, training, and partnerships with business, visit the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship website.

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
52	Associate's degree
35	Bachelor's degree
13	Some college, no degree

Interests

Interest code: RCI

Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Work Styles

Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical.

Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Attention to Detail — Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

Independence — Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Achievement/Effort — Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Work Values

Independence — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Support — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Related Occupations

19-4011.01

Agricultural Technicians

Green

Wages & Employment Trends

National

Median wages (2011)	$21.06 hourly, $43,800 annual
Employment (2010)	7,000 employees
Projected growth (2010-2020)	Slower than average (3% to 9%)
Projected job openings (2010-2020)	3,700
Top industries (2010)	Other Services (Except Public Administration)

State & National

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2011 wage data and 2010-2020 employment projections . "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2010-2020). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Summary Report for: 39-4011.00 - Embalmers