Free Sample
The Complete Guide to Becoming An Embalmer
The real pay, the real path, and the real day-to-day of the mortuary science profession — so you can decide with your eyes open.
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Does a Embalmer Actually Do?
Let's clear something up right away: an embalmer is not a funeral director, and a funeral director is not an embalmer. In small towns, one person often does both jobs, but in most cities and mid-sized firms, they are separate roles that work side by side. As an embalmer, your job is to preserve and prepare a deceased person for viewing, burial, or cremation. You are the person who makes it possible for a family to have an open casket, to say goodbye to a face that looks like the person they loved, not like a wax figure or a stranger.
The job has three main parts: the technical work of preserving the body, the artistic work of restoring a natural appearance, and the logistical work of managing the prep room and your time. You will spend your days in a room that is part laboratory, part art studio, and part janitor's closet. It is a clinical environment, usually with stainless steel tables, bright overhead lights, a ventilation system that hums constantly, and a smell that is a mix of chemical preservatives and clean linen. If you have ever wondered what embalming fluid smells like, it is a sharp, sweet, alcohol-like scent that will cling to your clothing if you don't change before you leave.
The Core Responsibility: Arterial Embalming
The heart of the job is a procedure called arterial embalming. The goal is to replace the blood in the body with