Education in 2023

By: John Yopp
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

“Education” is our feature for this special issue of Southern Funeral Directors Magazine. The funeral profession already has a shortage of licensed funeral directors and embalmers and the much discussed national exam only has a 58%-60% pass rate. Yet, our profession is needed now, more than ever, to minister to the families during these post pandemic and rising homicide and suicide rates.

Special thanks to SFD’s Elli Morris for her in-depth article, “The Future of the Profession - Is It Really Very Different From the Past?” Elli addresses some of the core issues we face everyday as well as the multiple number of questions we have that seem to have very little answers. 2023 will bring more changes, but will these changes be more positive or negative to our industry? Only time will tell! SFD always welcomes and supports all Mortuary Colleges and are delighted to have John A. Gupton send us a couple of “Student Essays” from Andrea Snow and Samantha Poiner. 

Also, Jefferson State Community College was gracious enough to have additional “Student Essays” from Debra Cochran, who at the age of 67, is retired, was a school teacher , wife of 48 years, mom of 3 sons, assistant in their funeral home and active grand mother, and now full time mortuary college student. Plus, additional thanks to Jefferson State’s, LaKeitha Seroyer and Jason Barrow, for their time and effort in submitting their view of the funeral profession from a student’s point of view.

We also appreciate Hannah Burns, sharing her passion for the profession and writing an article “Embracing Hospice - Benefits of Optimizing Palliative Care” 

Leave a comment
Name*:
Email:
Comment*:
Please enter the numbers and letters you see in the image. Note that the case of the letters entered matters.

Comments

Please wait

Previous Posts

Embracing Hospice: Benefits of Optimizing Palliative Care

I have no idea what compels someone to become a funeral director, but I simply haven’t dreamt of being anything else. I choose every day to comfort the brokenhearted, to see others at their weakest...

The Future of the Profession - Is It Really Very Different From the Past?

The funeral profession has been around, in a variety of fashions, since time immemorial. What’s the best route to ensure this essential service remains a thriving business into the future? Do nothi...

Six Reasons that Loans Get Declined

Declining loans is the worst part of my job. I sometimes come across funeral directors who take new jobs, move their families, or even sign agreements to purchase a funeral business assuming that t...

The Basics of Personnel Records

Most funeral home owners know that they should have a personnel file for each of their employees, but fewer know exactly what should be in those files and fewer still understand that they should be...

When Did Burial Vaults First Start Being Used? The History of Burial Vaults

On the surface, the question “When did burial vaults first start being used?” seems pretty cut-and-dried. Based on the definition that a burial vault is a container that encloses a casket to help p...

High-Impact Ways to Connect with Your Community

How do you set your funeral home apart and build strong connections with potential and current client families? The secret is a carefully planned series of community engagement and outreach efforts...

RECAPPING THE PROFESSIONAL CAR SOCIETY’S 2022 INTERNATIONAL MEET

Given its origins and long-standing significance as a Native American and Colonial era crossroads still frequented today by motorists plying the Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 84 and historic U...

Watch Your Language!

Funeral service is not alone in seeing changes to the terminology we use every day. Just like airline stewardesses have become “flight attendants,” secretaries have become “administrative assistant...

Three Ways to Supercharge Your Funeral Home with Technology

One of the bright spots to life on the road in the funeral profession undoubtedly is the sheer amount of exposure I’ve been able to receive from a variety of individuals across the country. Not onl...

Improving Celebration of Life Service Opportunities: Leveraging Proven Strategies from the Hospitality Industry

Digital transformation has become somewhat of an overused term these days, but deathcare professionals cannot dismiss the important role that new technology will play in serving families in the fut...