Paramedicine or Mortuary Science?

One of the most important decisions of your life is choosing a career. When choosing between two main options of study, you should compare them in order distinguish the advantages and disadvantages, or pro’s & con’s. The purpose of this essay is to examine the differences between a Funeral Director (Mortician), to Paramedics (Emergency Medical Technician). These are two similar careers, but each of them offers you different opportunities as a student and as a professional. Three main aspects comparing these two careers are job opportunities, work environment, & average salary expectations.

A funeral director, also known as a mortician or undertaker, is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming, burial or cremation of the dead, as well as the planning and arrangement of the actual funeral ceremony. Funeral directors may perform tasks such as dressing (in garments usually suitable for daily wear), casketing (placing the human body in the container), and cosmetizing (applying any sort of cosmetic or substance to the viewable areas of the person for the purpose of enhancing appearances). A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies & trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as cycle response.

In the US, most modern day funeral homes are run as family businesses. The majority of morticians work in small, independent family run funeral homes. The owner usually hires two or three morticians to help them. Often, the hired help are family members, perpetuating the family's ownership. Most funeral homes have one or more viewing rooms, a preparation room for embalming, a chapel, & casket selection room. They usually have a hearse for transportation of bodies, a flower car, and limousines. They