OFO No: 516304

What is a Mortician?

A Mortician works in a funeral parlour. A Mortician can also be the Embalmer and/or the funeral Director.

A Mortician prepares the body/corpse to make to make it look as life like and as natural as possible for the funeral. In some cases this can be very hard work, if the body has been disfigured through accident or disease. If the corpse is too damaged, the body will not have an open coffin to save funeral goers undo emotional stress.

What does a Mortician do?

• discusses requests from family of how they want the body prepared
• collects the dead body from a home, hospital or morgue
• keeps body cool under refrigeration
• washes the body using soap and disinfectant
• drains all fluids from the body (blood, urine etc)
• fills blood vessels with tinted embalming fluid (preserves body for funeral)
• dresses the corpse and adds appropriate accessories
• arranges the hair and does make up
• paints finger nails if family wants it done
• if body is damaged – uses reconstructive methods to make body look right
• delivers body to the funeral / graveyard / crematorium

Are you . . . ?

• respectful?
• emotionally stable?
• understanding and empathic?
• observant?
• detail orientated?
• a good communicator?
• a good listener?
• creative?

How do I become a Mortician?

You will need a qualification.

CLICK HERE for SAQA’s registered qualifications.

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Embalmer or Make Up Artist

Is becoming a Mortician the right career choice for me?

OFO No: 221207

Other names for Pathologist:

• Clinical Cytopathologist
• Forensic Biologist
• Forensic Pathologist
• Forensic Scientist
• Forensic Toxicologist
• Immunologist

What is a Pathologist?

A Pathologist is a specialist medical job.

A Pathologist works in laboratory. The perform tests on samples of tissue, blood and body secretions to determine illness or disease. These samples can be from live people.

In South Africa, a Pathologist could work for hospitals, government (police) or for companies like PathCare, Ampath or Lancet for instance.

A Forensic Pathologist will use samples from corpses to determine cause of death or to determine whether the person was murdered.

What does a Pathologist do?

• performs various laboratory tests of samples from live bodies
• studies the nature of diseases
• provides laboratory information to medical professionals

What does a Forensic Pathologist do?

• studies the corpse
• does experiments
• determines reasons for death
• writes reports
• provides legal teams with necessary evidence
• may appear in court as expert witness

Are you  . . . ?

• interested in science and biology?
• passionate about working in a lab?
• a problem solver?
• detail orientated?
• observant?
• a logical thinker?
• dedicated?
• methodical and systematic?
• not grossed out with body samples and/or corpses

How do I become a Pathologist?

You will need a qualification.

You will need to study to become a General Medical Practitioner and then, once qualified, practice as a doctor in a private practice, hospital or clinic.

After completing your 2 years, you will need to complete a Master’s degree in Medicine (Pathology)

• University of Cape Town
• University of KZN
• University of Pretoria
• University of the Free State
• University of Witwatersrand

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

• HEALTH PROFESSIONAL COUNCIL of SOUTH AFRICA (HPCSA)

HPCSA registration is compulsory from the first year of your medical studies to qualifying and practising as a Pathologist.

Registration categories are:

1. Student
2. Intern
3. Community Service
4. Private Practice

http://www.hpcsa.co.za/

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Mortician or Phlebotomist

Is becoming a Pathologist the right career choice for me?

OFO No: 516303

CLICK HERE

Youtube clip – The Career of an Embalmer

For training options in South Africa – scroll down

What is an Embalmer?

An Embalmer works in the funeral industry.

Their main job is to prepare dead bodies so that they slow down or resist decay. This is important if the funeral is only taking place in a few days or few weeks. The body needs to be preserved in a ‘natural looking’ state as NOT to shock funeral goers when they look in the coffin.

Embalmers use chemical solutions to disinfect, preserve and restore corpses. This chemical solution cleanses and disinfects the body as well as removes gases and liquids in the organs.

In some smaller funeral parlours, the funeral director may also be the embalmer.

What does an Embalmer do?

• stores dead bodies under refrigeration
• washes the body
• injects embalming fluid (chemicals) into the body

Are you . . . ?

• emotionally stable?
• able to work with dead bodies?
• reliable and responsible?
• a good communicator?
• understanding?
• caring?
• respectful?

How do I become an Embalmer?

You will need a qualification.

CLICK HERE for SAQA’s registered qualifications.

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Coffin Maker or Funeral Director

Is becoming an Embalmer the right career choice for me?

OFO No: 516301

Other names for Funeral Director:

• Funeral Practitioner
• Undertaker
• Embalmer

CLICK HERE

Youtube clip – The Career of a Funeral Director

For training options in South Africa – scroll down

What is a Funeral Director?

A Funeral Director is in charge of a funeral parlour and therefore arranges the logistics of the funeral for the family and prepares the corpse.

He or she is responsible for:

• Sympathetic support
• Prepares body for funeral
• Makes funeral arrangements

What does a Funeral Director do?

• meets with family of the dead person
• provides emotional support
• arranges for body to be collected from home, hospital or morgue
• helps family make decisions regarding the funeral arrangements
• respectfully, prepares corpse through embalming
• follow family’s wishes regarding the corpse
• hands over body to mortician to prepare for viewing
• transports body to the funeral venue / graveyard / crematorium

Are you . . . ?

• respectful?
• emotionally stable?
• understanding and empathic?
• observant?
• caring?
• detail orientated?
• organised?
• methodical?
• a good communicator?
• a good listener?

How do I become a Funeral Director?

You will need a qualification.

CLICK HERE for SAQA’s registered qualifications.

• NATIONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION

http://www.nfda.org.za/

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Embalmer or Coffin Maker

Is becoming a Funeral Director the right career choice for me?

OFO No:

What is a Coffin Maker?

The job of a Coffin Maker is to make coffins and caskets.

CLICK HERE 

Youtube clip of an unusual coffin maker from Ghana.

The difference between a coffin and casket is:

• Coffin:  usually a shaped box that is narrower one end than the other:  6 – 8 sides
• Casket:  usually a simple box shaped with 4 sides

Coffin Makers may specialise in simple, low cost coffins and caskets while others may make extremely elaborate and expensive ones.  The expensive ones may be covered in carvings, jewels and other decorations and lined with very expensive silks and velvets.

Some Coffin Makers mass produce coffins for funeral homes while others specialise in one-of-a-kind coffins or caskets.

In countries, like Ghana, some of the Coffin Makers have become very famous for the ‘career-inspired’ coffins and caskets. 

These Coffin Makers design fun and sometimes, outrageous pieces that match the dead person’s career. 

For instance:

• If the person was a taxi driver – their coffin would be shaped like a taxi
• If the person was a fisherman – their coffin would be shaped like a large fish
• If the person was a pilot – their coffin would be shaped like giant aeroplane
• If the person was a chicken farmer – their coffin would be shaped like a big chicken!

Do yourself a favour and Google: Ghanian Coffins – and click on images to see photographs of these coffins!

This is a new market which has not been explored in South Africa.  Maybe a young, South African entrepreneur, who is good with their hands might consider a career as a job-themed Coffin Maker!

What does a Coffin Maker do?

• discusses requirements with dead person’s family and friends
• designs the coffin or casket
• quotes
• orders the right materials: wood, fabric, screws, glue, paint etc
• saws, glues, sands, paints the coffin
• invoices the client
  
• works to deadlines

Are you . . . ?

• good with your hands?
• passionate about working with wood?
• a person who was considering becoming a carpenter?
• creative?
• compassionate?
• a people’s person?
• detail orientated?
• good with colour?
• hard worker?
• deadline driven?

How do I become a Coffin Maker?

• SA COFFIN TRAINING

• TRIMO COFFINS AND CASKETS

• COFFIN MANUALS

Offers courses and manuals on how to make coffins and caskets.

Another way to become a Coffin Maker is to approach a coffin making or funeral company directly.  They may offer in-house training. 

If you start at the bottom of the company and show that you are hard-working and dedicated, the company may send you on a training course for you to become a Coffin Maker or … you may get the chance to work alongside an already trained Coffin Maker as an apprentice.

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Upholsterer … or … Carpenter

Is becoming a Coffin Maker the right career choice for me?