Technical sessions to feature live demonstrations

For Immediate Release: February 19, 2020

Brookfield, Wis. – While giving the gift of life through organ or tissue donation can be a healing experience for a donor family, it can present a challenge for funeral professionals. To help both novice and seasoned embalmers hone their skills so that every decedent is restored to a viewable state, the 2020 National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar will focus on preparing donor cases. The seminar will take place May 14-15 at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in Pittsburgh, Pa.

According to the Health Resources & Services Administration (Department of Health and Human Services), nearly 11,000 decedents were organ or tissue donors and more than 155 million people over the age of 18 are registered organ donors; these numbers continue to increase.

The dynamic and engaging NFDA Embalming and Restorative Art Seminar will offer attendees advanced knowledge and techniques, taught by experts from the Center for Organ Recovery & Education and some of the country’s foremost embalming experts, that can be applied when they return to their funeral home. Sessions include:

• Live Demonstration Part I: Understanding Long Bone, Tendon and Skin Donation for Funeral Directors and Embalmers. Presenters: Sarah Czajkowski, licensed funeral director and certified tissue bank specialist; and Cara Krepp, certified tissue bank specialist.

• Live Demonstration Part II: Understanding Ocular, Heart Valve and Tissue Donation for Funeral Directors and Embalmers. Presenters: Sarah Czajkowski, licensed funeral director and certified tissue bank specialist; and Cara Krepp, certified tissue bank specialist.

• Live Demonstration Part III: Tips and Techniques for Embalming the Donor Case. Presenters: Jason Mishler, CFSP, MBIE, licensed funeral director, embalmer and reconstructive specialist; and Amanda Marie Eilis King, CFSP, licensed funeral director, embalmer and reconstructive specialist.

• Techniques for Preparing the Unembalmed Case (live demonstration). Presenter: Amanda Marie Eilis King, CFSP, licensed funeral director, embalmer and reconstructive specialist.

• Embalming Risk Management. Presenter: T. Scott Gilligan, NFDA general counsel.

• Color Theory & the Biology Behind Better Cosmetics (live demonstration). Presenter: Amanda Marie Eilis King, CFSP, licensed funeral director, embalmer and reconstructive specialist.

• Ask the Experts Panel.

One participant in last year’s Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar noted, “This was my second year attending this seminar. I found it so informative and interesting that I went again this year and invited another embalmer that I know to come with me.” Another stated, “The importance of a good foundational embalming for the purpose of the family being able to view is something that I find invaluable. This helped me add to knowledge of how to achieve this.”

Attendees will save $25 when they register on or before April 15.

• NFDA member licensed funeral director 
  • On or before April 15: $250 
  • After April 15: $275
• Nonmember licensed funeral director 
  • On or before April 15: $400
  • After April 15: $425
• Student/Apprentice
  • On or before April 15: $100
  • After April 15: $125

Complete information about the 2020 NFDA Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, including session descriptions, presenter biographies and registration details, can be found on the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/embalmingseminar.   

There are a number of hotels located near the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science; visit www.nfda.org/embalmingseminar for recommendations.

Keep Your Embalming Skills Sharp With NFDA

For some embalmers, traveling to a conference may not fit with the demands of their business. NFDA offers several online learning courses focused on technical skills that enable funeral professionals to boost their skills wherever and whenever they have Internet access. Courses include:

• Embalming Risk Management (3 CE hours) presented by Scott Gilligan and Jzyk Ennis, Ph.D.
• Embalming the Obese Case (3 CE hours) presented by Vernie Fountain, CFSP
• Demonstration of Soft Tissue Repair (4 CE hours) presented by Dominick J. Astorino, CFSP, MBIE, and Wallace P. Hooker, CFSP
• New: Approaching Trauma Cases with Confidence (3 CE hours) presented by Dominick J. Astorino, CFSP, MBIE
• Relevance of Restorative Art (3 CE hours) presented by Dominick J. Astorino, CFSP, MBIE
• Embalming Perspectives and Paradigms Challenged (6 CE hours) presented by John S. "Jay" Rhodes III, CFSP

To learn more about NFDA Online Learning Courses, visit www.nfda.org/olc.  

NFDA offers a consumer brochure, Embalming: Answers to Your Questions. This brochure gently explains the embalming process, describes the value of viewings and visitations as part of end-of-life rituals, and answers common questions that families may have. The brochure can be ordered through the NFDA Resource Store, www.nfda.org/store, or by calling 800-228-6332.

Funeral directors may also want to encourage families to visit NFDA’s consumer-facing website, www.RememberingALife.com, which serves as a guide to honoring a life well-lived, from planning a tribute to mourning a loved one. The site offers guidance on how to start the planning process, the kinds of decisions families will make, and the many options available to make a tribute personal and meaningful. The site highlights information on service options (including embalming and the value of viewing), details about cremation and burial, and prefunding options.

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.

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Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, jkoth@nfda.org