What is the difference between a funeral director, a mortician, an embalmer and a funeral assistant?

Some of these terms (such as Funeral Director and Mortician) are used interchangeably; however, there are some distinctions between them. A Funeral Director or Mortician may or may not be an Embalmer, but an Embalmer is usually also licensed as a Funeral Director. A State Board-issued license is generally required to be a Funeral Director/Embalmer, which entails completing advanced schooling with a degree in Funeral Services and Board approval. A Funeral Assistant may or may not be licensed at all, depending on that state’s requirements. They are usually hired to assist the Funeral Director in various facets of serving families – from planning services, coordinating funeral to transporting the deceased. As embalming usually requires special training, Funeral Assistants are usually not licensed to perform embalming. You can check your state’s requirements by contacting your state Funeral Board.