The Bureau licenses and regulates funeral establishments; funeral directors; embalmers and apprentice embalmers; cemetery brokers, salespersons and managers; crematories; and cremated remains disposers. The Bureau also investigates complaints and educates consumers, practitioners and the public.
When you need to make funeral arrangements, choose a licensed funeral home. If your loved one was a tissue or organ donor, be sure to honor that wish.
Professionalism
A funeral director must be able to effectively interact with at-need families during a very emotional time. This means that they need to be compassionate and empathetic, while also being competent enough to manage the daily operations of a funeral home.
The funeral industry is a career that requires a lot of education, training and professional development. A person interested in becoming a funeral director must complete mortuary school, pass a state and national licensing exam, and obtain an internship before being eligible to be licensed as a funeral director. Additionally, they must be able to pass a background check and drug screening. The Board of Funeral Services regulates more than 1800 funeral firms; 4000 funeral directors; embalmers and apprentice embalmers; cemetery brokers, salespersons, and managers; crematories, hydrolysis facilities, and cremation service providers; and private cemeteries in the State. The Board also provides consumer protection by investigating complaints against licensees. The Bureau advocates for consistent interpretation and enforcement of the laws governing the funeral industry.
Compassionate Care
Funeral directors, embalmers, and undertakers must pass a state exam and meet education requirements. They also must register with the New York State Department of Health. The Board regulates and investigates complaints, oversees licensing and inspections, and fixes examination dates.
Compassionate care involves empathy, respect, and personalized care that improves health outcomes and builds trust. It is an important skill in healthcare because it ensures that people feel valued and supported throughout their journey. Moreover, compassionate care is crucial for providing holistic patient-centered care that reflects the person’s cultural and spiritual beliefs.
A comprehensive literature review was conducted using a systematic search strategy in MEDLINE (OVID), PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Scopus. The terms compassion, empathy, and caring were combined with MeSH terms, keywords, and wildcards in order to retrieve relevant articles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore additional areas and generate new ideas for further analysis. A topic guide was developed at the outset and amended as data collection progressed.
Confidence
A funeral service professional can only feel truly confident in their work if they know that what they do makes a difference to families. When an employee receives a positive customer survey response, a glowing online review or a handwritten note from a grateful family, it reinforces that their efforts are appreciated.
In addition, it is important that employees feel they can rely on each other in difficult situations, and this requires open communication within the firm. Clearly defined job duties and responsibilities can also help foster this team-oriented atmosphere.
Finally, it is important that all employees are properly compensated for their hard work. This can include a robust benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance policies and a generous amount of paid time off. Asking your top performers what type of compensation they value will make it easier to ensure that you are providing the right incentives.
Community
The Bureau licenses and regulates more than 1,800 funeral establishments, funeral directors, embalmers and apprentice embalmers; cemetery brokers/branch/additional, cemetery salespersons, and crematories/hydrolysis facilities, as well as nearly 200 licensed private cemeteries in California. We advocate consumer protection and licensee compliance by providing proactive education and consistent interpretation and application of the laws that govern the death care industry. The Bureau does not regulate cemeteries operated by religious organizations, cities/counties, cemetery districts or the military. See additional resources.