In New York, a funeral home must be licensed to make arrangements, prepare the body and supervise burial. If you have questions about funeral arrangements, or believe your loved one’s remains were mishandled, contact a Long Island funeral home neglect attorney.
Embalming fees must be clearly disclosed when arranging a funeral and on the itemized statement. State law does not require caskets or outer interment receptacles, but many cemeteries do.
Licensing and Regulation
Funeral service is a regulated profession that requires a license to be engaged in the business. The Board examines and licenses funeral directors, embalmers, interns and funeral establishments, investigates complaints against professionals and imposes appropriate disciplinary sanctions.
Upon completion of education and an internship, the applicant must pass national and state examinations in order to be licensed by the Board. The examinations cover both the arts and sciences of funeral directing. Arts subjects include accounting, management, law, and psychology; sciences include anatomy, chemistry and microbiology.
The funeral director must also follow specific guidelines related to referring death cases to the Medical Examiner for an autopsy. In addition, he/she must notify the next of kin of all circumstances surrounding the death. Consumers should always check a funeral home’s licensing status before making any financial arrangements. This can be done by visiting the OPOR website for licensure verifications.
Education and Training
In order to become a funeral director or embalmer in the US, you’ll need to enroll in an accredited mortuary science program. Two-year associate’s degree programs are common, but some colleges also offer bachelor’s degrees. Some have specific admission requirements, such as fluency in a foreign language and public speaking skills.
You’ll start by learning anatomy, biology and chemistry before advancing to courses in embalming theory and restorative art. You’ll also learn about funeral arrangements, ceremonies and cremation. Managing a funeral home is another topic you’ll be taught, along with how to support grieving families.
NCC’s mortuary science program is offered on campus and online, so you can choose whether to study full-time or part-time. In both cases, students complete the same courses with the same faculty. Students who graduate are eligible for the Funeral Service National Board Examination and must complete a year-long resident internship. This helps them hone their skills and gain industry connections.
Standards of Conduct
As a profession that serves the living, funeral professionals must navigate societal shifts with compassion and clarity. Ethical lapses can impact families and tarnish community trust. The need for a strong code of conduct, commonly fostered by industry organizations and governing bodies, is paramount.
Licensed funeral directors and embalmers, in addition to being honest with clients, must honor the confidence of each family they serve by maintaining their establishments in a clean and sanitary condition. In addition, they must be fair and courteous in dealings with the public.
Any licensee who engages in false, misleading, untrue or deceptive advertising in any medium may be guilty of consumer fraud, restraint of completion or price fixing and subject to the disciplinary sanctions set forth in 24 Del. C. SS3112(a). A new establishment certificate must be obtained whenever a change in ownership occurs. This includes a change in ownership between funeral directors who were original (over 50%) owners of the funeral establishment.
Ethics
Funeral professionals operate in an industry that demands transparency, honesty, and a dedication to the welfare of families they serve. These fundamentals, backed by a strict code of ethics, provide a firm handrail against exploitation of vulnerable families and ensure that funeral professionals deliver on their promise of dignity and respect for the deceased.
During times of high emotion, ethical guidelines help funeral professionals navigate conversations that require sensitivity and compassion. However, even when the rules are clear, lapses in ethics occur. This is why it’s critical that all funeral professionals remain aware of the guiding principles surrounding ethical behavior.
For example, Funeral Directors must adhere to guidelines for referring a death to the Medical Examiner when circumstances indicate the cause of death may not be apparent. Also, they must cooperate in a professional manner with other funeral directors when service involves the merchandise or services of another funeral home, including facilitating transfers of both pre-need and at-need arrangements.