Cremation Ahead Of The Curve
Does funeral service need to raise the bar when it comes to professional development standards? I see professional development within funeral service broken into two components:funeral service education and continuing education.Someone considering a career in funeral service needs a basic understanding of what is required of a funeral director.If they decide to travel that career path, they then (generally) go to school to earn an associate’s degree in funeral service education and obtain the various knowledge and skills required to become a funeral director.This is no different than someone interested in working in accounting, nursing, teaching or law.There might be different educational requirements for each of these professions, but there are also similarities.In states across the country educational requirements to become a funeral director run the spectrum from “no education” to a bachelor’s degree.How can this be?Are the skills and knowledge required to become a funeral director that different between states?Absolutely not!So why in 2006 are we still talking about all of the different requirements and not doing something about them?It is time to seriously look at standardizing the requirements for becoming a funeral director across the United States.NFDA cannot do this alone however.We need your help and the help of state associations to begin this important task.Not too long ago NFDA had an initiative on the books to raise the bar for funeral service education from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree, but that has since fallen aside due to a lack of interest amongst the membership.I am just thankful we were able to raise the standards a few years ago to an associate’s degree but is that enough?I know most parents like me want their children to finish high school and further their education to become productive citizens in our society.What area they study and earn their degree in is not as important as the education itself.So why would funeral directors not want the same?Why would funeral service not want a better educated workforce to help build and maintain the exceptional businesses that have been throughout the year?These days earning a college degree is a first step in our careers but after we complete our formal education it is essential that we continue to learn.Whether by sharing ideas with peers attending classes or reading about new developments in our chosen field, continuing to stay abreast of advances is essential to making us better professionals, regardless of whether you are an accountant, nurse, teacher or lawyer.Lifelong learning is critical to see individual success.Would you want to visit a 50 year old physician that has never attended a single continuing education session or read any of the medical journals?I know I would not.Do we not all prefer to talk to someone that is “up to date” in his or her field of expertise?Of course we do so why do we think consumers do not want the same thing from a funeral director?Continuing education is important for staying current in funeral service or better stated for “staying ahead of the curve.”So why do some funeral directors complain about raising the continuing education standards from a mere “X” hours per year?I congratulate those states that have raised the bar and increased their continuing education requirements during the past few years and I send kudos to those funeral directors that understand the value of continuing to learn how to better serve families and run successful businesses.At its March 2006 meeting the NFDA policy board held small group discussions on whether NFDA should continue to advocate and work toward higher educational standards, uniformity in licensing and reciprocity.Summarizing the results:
- All of the groups support maintaining or strengthening educational standards through time.
- Most of the groups reported that all types of licenses (including funeral director, embalmer, combined funeral director/embalmer and any new types of licensing considered) should meet or exceed current standards.
- All of the groups expressed concern about whether uniformity and reciprocity are achievable.
- All but one group agreed that NFDA should continue to work toward uniformity and reciprocity; the group that disagreed appeared to have reached its conclusion based on the belief that uniform licensing and reciprocity simply cannot be achieved.
- At its meeting this July the policy board will be asked to consider a formal policy position on educational standards and licensing.Maybe there is still hope.
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