I want to be a mortician, but deiced I want to be a Radiation Therapists (Monday and Tuesday, Thursday update. Monday Update. Update 7/18/12
I found one school in my state that offers a bacholers degree in mortuary science. Just one college. I looked over the course work and it doesn't look that bad. My next plan of action is to contact my local community college and the university to see if the credits will transfer. I figure I can take my core classes at the community college and transfer to the university. I also need to find out if the funeral homes in my area offer apprenticeships. I've looked on their websites there aren't any job listings. This could prove to be awkward on my end to call up funeral homes asking about apprenticeships, but it's required to have at least one year apprenticing, along with the college and passing a licensing exam. I'm sorta excited. Too bad all the school offices are closed. I have to wait until monday to find out about the classes.
Cause I know your all waiting with bated breath for an update here it is:
I forgot to call today, at least I forgot until 4:30 then I remembered to call. I called the university first and got transfered to the funeral services department where I had to leave a message and I hope they get back with me. Then I called the community college and asked about credit transfered and they told me that was up to the university so I would have to talk to them about it. So on stuck waiting ill probably call back tomorrow earlier in the day and see if I can get someone on the phone.
Tuesday: I started by calling the University's general phone number and told them I was wondering about transfering from the community college to their school. I was then transfered to the Transferrs department where I left a message with my name and number.
Then I did some searching on their website and finally found their course transfer list. I went through each class lokking them up under the University's name. I found a community college class for each core University class, but under the university's name it said "Counts as lower level credit." Now I'm scratching my head trying to understand what this means. Does it mean it won't transfer? Does it mean I have to take more elective classes to make up for it? What?
I called the Admissions line, and waited on hold for forever to talk to someone who could maybe answer my question. Once I got a person on the phone I tried to explain what I was needing help with. I was then given a name of a person, along with an e-mail address and phone number. I was told the best way to contact that person was via e-mail. I typed out a e-mail and sent it and I have no idea when my question will be answered. I will in the meantime try the phone number.
All I want is a simple question answered, does it really have to be this difficult to answer the question?
I also feel like I'm having one big ditzy moment, like I'm not seeing the obvious.
I will of course update again when I find out if the classes will transfer.
The other Tuesday update: On a whim I decided to call the general help line and followed the phone prompt to course advisor's department. After waiting on hold for a while I finally got a person on the phone and he was the most helpful person so far. If I take the classes at the community college they will transfer to the university. The only ones I need to worry about are the elective courses which I will have to have a second opinion on. THANK GOD! I finally got my answer and what's even better? I don't have to take college algebra! W00T!
Now I'm going to take MND's advice and see if I can sit in on an autopsy or something of that nature, and then I'll be finding out about apprenticeships.
Thursday: I called two funeral homes today, one is really really close to where I live and the other one is a little further away. I waiting for a call back with the first one and the other one I got a really open really helpful Funeral Director on the phone. He told me the pay is about 35k in this area and the hours are 60ish a week. He was sort of discouraging, but he was very very honest. He's been in the business for over 30 years. He said not a lot of people are getting into the business so they are always happy to see people interested, but he said for the college and pay level I would be better off doing something else. He recommends Radiology. He said if I really want to get my foot in the door, maybe get in to see a embalming or something like that then I need to set up a meeting with the funeral home owner, and maybe apply for a driving position. He told me the home he works for has medical insurance and offers sick pay and a 2 week vacation starting out. He highly recommended me to talk to the owner. He gave me a lot to think about because he has also said that he has some regrets getting into the business. He likes the fact that he's not doing the same thing every day, but he doesn't like the long hours or pay.
I also got an e-mail back from the University's transfers department and they explained that "counts as lower level credit" means that it is a freshman or sophmore class. The e-mail told me to give them a call so I could go over classes with them.
Looks like for me more phone calls are in order and I need to figure out a day/time I can go to the funeral home to talk to the owner and find more stuff out about the profession.
Monday 6/25/12: Today I got a phone call. When they called the lady on the line asked for a person who wasn't me. I told her she had the wrong number then she reads my number back to me and she had my last name. I have such an unusual first name that people don't hear it right the first time. She was from the university with the funeral services department. She told me that a lot of people who take the funeral services classes already work in funeral homes as apprentices. I told her I was still gathering information before I go all out and start taking classes, then I told her that I've been advised to sit in on an autopsy or embalming to see if I can handle being around a corpse. I asked her if she knew of any way to go about seeing if I can do that and she's going to talk to the chairman of the department and see if they can help me out with it. Hopefully they'll be able to get back with me this afternoon with some sort of answer/advice. I'll update again when I get an answer back.
7/18/12: I haven't heard back from the school and I haven't called either. I've been doing a lot of thinking on the matter. I remember the person from the funeral home telling me that he's directing his son into the radiology field. I did a little bit of research and with a associate's degree I can make up to 50k a year. If I felt ambitious enough to become a physician, I can earn up to 400k yearly, at least that's where it's at now. The hours would be seemingly better, than with funeral directing and potential pay seems better too. My only issue with college, that I can foresee at the moment is getting through college algebra. I failed miserably the first time I tried to take it, and I don't want to fail again. I still have time to think it over and do some more research. Why is choosing a career so hard?
Later, same day: After looking at other jobs that are in the sameish field as Radiology. I've decided that I want to be a Radiation Therapist (the people who administer cancer treatment). I only have one issue, the only program offered in my state for Radiation Therapists is a 4yr program. The school that I go to has to be a AART accredited school, and only one school offers the program (2hr away from where I currently live) and in 2015 they are changing their AART guidelines to accept 2yr programs. I've decided that I'm going to take the Radiology program that the community college has to offer, get a job in that field, then go back to college and take whatever courses are left to become a Radiation Therapist. Dh is about to start school and when he finishes we may be moving somewhere else. So I think it would be better for me to take a 2yr program, get a decent paying job, and then go back when we move or whatever, or I may decided to just stay in the same feild. Either way it's a win. YAY!
Working on 50SOG spoof. 12 chapters down, 14 more to go.
Me either. I could handle seeing their injuries (if there are injuries) because 1.) they're dead 2.) they aren't going to wake up in shock from their injuries. 3.) I don't have to see them in pain. 4.) I don't have to worry about hurting them. 5.) I don't have to see them die. Oh and it a weird way it will satisfy my morbid curiosity. When I see obits I wonder how they died and of course the obits never say. I'm probably just really weird like that.
Quoting Whyunoloveme:
Sounds pretty awesome! Then again dead people don't bother me.
Working on 50SOG spoof. 11 chapters down, 15 more to go.
That would be funny. Makes perfect sense as to why they make the sound too.
Quoting Whyunoloveme:
My favorite thing? Having a new nurse/tech help you clean the body and when they roll sometimes the dead body will go uhhh really loud as the air compresses out and the new nurse/tech pisses their pants. Yes I'm that fucked up. It's pretty funny though.
Working on 50SOG spoof. 11 chapters down, 15 more to go.
LMAO! Dead bodies freak me out, but I would so love to watch that. I'm a bitch 
Quoting Whyunoloveme:
My favorite thing? Having a new nurse/tech help you clean the body and when they roll sometimes the dead body will go uhhh really loud as the air compresses out and the new nurse/tech pisses their pants. Yes I'm that fucked up. It's pretty funny though.
I oddly had this same thought driving past the funeral home lol
Dead bodies creep me out though, a bit to much Dawn of the Dead for me lol
call the places, in the US in order to be a fully accredited Mortician you need to complete a two year apprenticeship with a Funeral home. Often if somewhere has an opening and you can show that you've started taking classes they will start your apprenticeship right away so you end up graduating and completing the apprenticeship at the same time.
My DH is going to start classes soon and has his apprenticeship set up to start half way through the first semester
WHY?!?!?!?!
- repunzel17
on Jun. 15, 2012 at 2:54 PM