April 2001
The Director - Features
Let's Lay This Criticism to Rest
Should people coming out of mortuary school know how to embalm?
Many funeral home employers claim that individuals currently graduating from mortuary school don't know how to embalm. Is this true? The American Board of Funeral Service Education states in its standards that "Each student shall actively participate, either on campus or in a practicum experience, in the arterial and cavity embalming of at least ten dead human bodies, under the supervision of an approved clinical instructor or preceptor." Let's Lay This Criticism to Rest examines ABFSE's standard and how it can be interpreted.
The article was written by John Kroshus, Ph.D., an assistant professor and director of the mortuary science program at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. Kroshus has been active in funeral service for more than 20 years as both a practicing funeral director and as a funeral service educator.
