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For Immediate Release: March 4, 2024

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has opened registration for the 2024 Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar, scheduled to take place on May 2 and 3 at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. This comprehensive seminar, featuring live demonstrations on a donor body, will provide embalmers with invaluable insights, techniques, and legal considerations crucial to their craft.

The seminar, tailored for both novice embalmers and seasoned experts, will feature a diverse array of sessions led by renowned industry professionals. Sessions include:

• Embalming Risk Management: Presented by Chris Farner, NFDA general counsel, this session will explore the legal risks embalmers face and provide actionable steps to mitigate liability exposure.
• Live Embalming and Lectures: Led by Michael Burns, CFSP, dean of Faculty and Students, Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, and Nicholas Ricci, instructor, Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, these sessions that include live demonstrations on a donor body, will cover a range of topics from arterial injection to cosmetics, providing attendees with practical techniques and insights.
• Ask the Experts Panel: A unique opportunity for attendees to engage with Farmer, Burns and Ricci to gain additional insights and address specific questions or concerns.

Last year’s Embalming and Restorative Art Seminar, more than 91% of attendees rated the event as very valuable. One attendee said, “This was an amazing experience I will talk about for years to come.” Another noted, “Michael Burns and Nick Ricci were not only extremely knowledgeable about what they were teaching they were also passionate and caring about the art and practice.”

Complete details about the 2024 NFDA Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar, including information about how to register by the April 2 early-bird deadline, can be found on the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/embalmingseminar. Funeral service professionals may also call NFDA at 800-228-6332 (262-789-1880) for information and to sign up by the final registration deadline of April 25. 

There are several hotels located near the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science; attendees may visit www.nfda.org/embalmingseminar for recommendations and to book a room. 

The Profession’s Best Embalming and Restorative Art Resources 

NFDA offers a wide range of education and resources to help funeral service professionals practice embalming with a high degree of excellence. 

On April 17, NFDA will host The Gravity of Cavity Embalming as part of its Level Up Learning Webinar series. Cavity embalming, often underestimated, is a crucial step in the embalming process, sometimes surpassing arterial embalming in importance. Presenter John Hill will provide comprehensive, step-by-step instructions on performing cavity embalming effectively, ensuring proper care for the deceased. Level Up Learning Webinars are free for NFDA members and $79 for nonmembers. Funeral professionals can register online at www.nfda.org/events or by calling 800-228-6332 (262-789-1880). 

The 2024 NFDA International Convention & Expo, taking place October 20-23 in New Orleans, Louisiana, will feature a preconvention embalming seminar and multiple education sessions covering technical skills. Look for full details when registration for the NFDA Convention opens on May 1. 

NFDA offers several online learning and home study courses focused on technical skills. Courses cover a variety of topics and enable funeral professionals to boost their skills wherever and whenever they have Internet access. A full list of online learning and home study courses can be found on the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/olc. 

NFDA’s collection of legal forms, available exclusively to members at www.nfda.org/legalforms,  includes a number of forms related to preparation, including embalming authorization forms, embalming affidavits, embalming report forms and more.

NFDA developed two consumer brochures, Embalming: Answers to Your Questions and The Value of Viewing the Body of Your Loved One, to help families understand the embalming process, the value of viewings and visitations as part of end-of-life rituals, and answer common questions. The brochures can be ordered through the NFDA Resource Store, www.nfda.org/store, or by calling 800-228-6332 (262-789-1880). 

Funeral directors may also want to encourage families they serve 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.

About NFDA

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, Wisconsin, and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org. 

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