I DO  NOT AGREE!

I have reasons  why but it will not fit in 3,000 words. I think Interns should complete  More hours. to be sure that they are ready. Interns are our future. There are a multitude of reasons why we should increase hours and also change some of the rules for apprentice. There are other rules that should be change but not Apprenticeships.

The Virginia Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers has already dropped the minimum length of time in which an internship can be completed to 12 months and now you are entertaining the idea of reducing the internship hours from 3000 to 2000. When in Mortuary School you are taught the very basics of what is required to be a funeral director. The best education you get is from working as an intern in the day to day operations of a funeral home. During the internship there is a tremendous amount of information as well as hands-on learning which needs to be taught. Anyone who has any experience as a funeral director knows that no two funerals and no two families are alike and that the more experience you get under your belt before you strike out unsupervised will help you to be a better funeral director. If anything, increasing the internship to 4000 hours would be beneficial. The state board has an obligation to the citizens of Virginia to make sure that the licenses they issue are to funeral service licensees who are fully trained in all aspects of funeral service. It is just not logical to think that someone can get all the experience they need in one year or 2000 hours.

Please do not let the conglomerates “water-down” this profession. Their attempts to create glorified salespeople the fastest way possible can only be a detriment to the profession and to the Virginia public. Virginia needs better trained funeral directors to assist the public at the worst time in their lives, not more quickly trained people.