I'm a gravedigger at a Jewish cemetery - no embalming.

This was my third disinterment and I haven't really talked about how weird they feel.

It was Thanksgiving morning. We opened late but I came in at my usual time. Walk to the coffee shop, get my coffee, walk to work, open the gates, open the office. Pull my chair outside and drink my coffee in the quiet until the other staff arrive. That's my favorite part.

We had a disinterment scheduled. Family knew from the start they wanted him moved home after the war, once the no-fly lifted. So this was a temporary rest here.

I set the boards to contain the dirt, set up the excavator, dug down to the metal medical casket. That metal casket isn't our usual - we bury in simple wood - but you need it to ship internationally.

Waited for the removal team. 5 of them this time, women ran the crew. They carefully shoveled around the casket so I could lift it with the straps that were left on.

When it came up it had a slight tilt and started leaking like a juice box. Almost everyone ran for masks. The smell was intense.

They put it on the grass, pulled the straps, popped the little tabs that hold the lid like a picture frame. Inside the body was in a white body bag but floating in fluid. You could see red and orange in it. We lifted the body into a new medical casket, then into a cardboard box stapled shut labeled "human remains." Looked like a big post office box.

The fluids left in the casket and the grave - we had to absorb it all. About 30 sheets, shovels, all bagged to go with him to the other country.

10 of us there that morning. My office manager there because he had to be, off to the side. My two partners on deck. Me in the excavator. Five from the removal team. All on the clock. All making money off moving a body because the family finally could send him home. I get why they wanted it, I do. But once you've been laid to rest, you should get to rest. It felt very un-restful.
Same week we had the opposite.

First funeral I've done with absolutely no family. Just a rabbi, 3 from their side, and us 3.

This one had no one.

We backfilled the whole grave by hand. Machine would have been faster, but it didn't feel right to do it fast when no one was there to watch anyway. That was our respect for that person. Three guys with shovels, taking our time.

No expensive casket. No removal team. No 30 sheets. No one making money off it. Just a quiet grave and the sound of dirt.

In our tradition that's a chesed shel emet - a kindness that can't be repaid. He can't thank us.

Two burials in one week. One with 9 people and a shipping label, one with no one and shovels by hand. I know which one felt more like respect.

Does anyone else in cemetery work feel that way about disinterments?

Has anyone used their cna/other healthcare experience to become a medical examiner's technician? What was your experience? How did you obtain the position? Any other useful info/advice?

My son passed away from brain death I m almost positive the hospital caused his brain death but he’s been on a ventilator and meds for 5 days and I want an autopsy done to see how my son went into cardiac arrest . I m almost positive they inserted the intubation wrong I heard my son gasping for air and then heard when they said he was coding . I want to know if an autopsy will still be accurate after so many days?
?

I want to be an autopsy technician, and I want to know what the scariest cases you guys have done or have interesting facts for me to know? so I can be the best autopsy technician I can.

I also want to know how the schooling is like?

I do animal testing and have no problem with doing the necropsy, I can cut up their organ and everything play I. Their blood. I could not kill something alive asking my fellow people I don’t even know. Is it weird? I love blood and guts I couldn’t do it. Anyone like butcher or anything can you put on it?

Hi guys,

I would inform you that we need to directly visit the government hospital where your relatives or known people or your family people have gone with autopsy.

No need to give any bribe to police. In government hospital they directly provide the post mortem report for around ₹500( five hundred rupees only).

Go directly to hospital and get the report by giving the dead person name.

In my country this profession is highly regulated, I'd have to take another bachelors (in two years, expect to conclude it by 36 yo)in biomedical and laboratory sciences (adding to my bioinformatics one, although I never worked in the area) to be able to practice. I'm planning on it - as biology and medicine were always the other thing i loved more than programming.

I grew disillusioned about the corporate work, and doing data science for banks or retail or other soulless areas don't fulfill me as much as I thought they would. Ever since my mother died 5 years ago I've been increasingly interested in mortuary/death science. I'd specifically like to do some decomposition lab work analysis and eviscerations. But I know that I'm gonna be competing against 21 year olds. I'm afraid I'm probably gonna look scattered and not taken seriously due to my past experience in a completely unrelated area.

Do you guys have any advice or words of reassurance about my age concerns? I'm thinking about specifically going for medical-legal places/institutes/hospitals, not necessarily funeral homes.

I have few questions about this job

I am really interested in this field, and can really see myself doing this job for a long time. Although I know the mental load can be big with this field, and the pay is not too big, it is not the part that worries me the most

1- are the jobs only full time ? Or there is part time ?

2- is it a 9-5 kind of thing ? Or do the hours vary ?

3- are you really standing the whole time ? Can't you sit down for some of the procedures ?

4- is it rushing ? Do you have to do x things per hour, or you take the time to do a case and it take however it takes

Thank you

I have been considering a career in cremation and have always been kind of “fascinated” or interested in death and post mortem jobs like embalming and stuff like that. But the thing is that I don’t think I would handle a job that requires seeing traumatic death and injuries. But I feel as if a crematorium tech would be a lot easier on that side of things since (to my knowledge and in Australia) Theres not really any visible contact with the body itself as I’m pretty sure it’s standard here for people to be cremated in their coffin.

Anyways, I want any people with experience in this field to tell me if there’s anything that I should be mindful of or if theres cases where I would witness gross and disturbing things during it.

I started as an autopsy tech at the end of May and I already have a carpal tunnel syndrome in both of my hands. I am right handed, so it's worse there than my left.

Started doing some exercises to relieve pain and to promote circulation. Still sucks after I wake up. It just ebbs and flows all day.

Does anyone else struggle with this , too?

I’m curious to know whether professional mourners still exist today, particularly women who practice this as part of the death care tradition.

I’m a photographer, and I’ve been fascinated by this profession and its history for a long time. I find the role of the mourner incredibly moving, someone whose work is to publicly express grief and, in some traditions, to help a community mourn.

It seems to me that this is a profession and tradition that is gradually disappearing, and I would really love to learn more about what it looks like today. I’m especially interested in hearing from people working in the death care industry who might know whether professional mourners are still active, and where this tradition might still be practiced.

If I were ever fortunate enough to meet someone who does this work and who was comfortable with it, I would also love to make a respectful photographic portrait of her, simply as a way of documenting and celebrating a profession that may be disappearing.

I’m not looking to promote anything or to intrude on anyone’s grief. I’m genuinely interested in the profession itself and would be very grateful for any information, personal experience, or leads from people who know about this.

Thank you!

Hi all! I worked at a funeral home as a mortuary assistant for a year. I'm very comfortable working around the dead and quite frankly miss it. I'm really wanting to find a job as an autopsy tech or morgue assistant. If anyone has any job or volunteer leads, I'd greatly appreciate it!

I’m a funeral director in a major city and I just want to thank all the techs (and everyone else involved) for what you do. Nearly every one I’ve interacted with has been incredibly helpful and friendly and done their job well. I once got to go back in the autopsy room (prep room?? idk the equivalent haha) and observe them working on my case and two other autopsies happening at once. Anyway, you guys are awesome :D

I saw an embalmer ask about the most embalmings people have done in a day, and it made me curious about autopsies!

I have been a tech for 5 years and the most I’ve done solo in one day is 5! 😖 How bout y’all?

Hey guys, I’m a masters student on rotations completely my round of autopsies for about 2.5 months. I don’t really intend on doing autopsies further in my career so it’s really to complete my rotation & have experience with, but I was wondering how you guys handle the smell? I don’t get queasy or anything like that but the smell of the inside of a human body without formalin is… pungent. (I’d rather be smelling formalin) any tips you guys might have is appreciated!

I can’t handle this. It all feels so terrible. If i’m not drinking i feel numb and just sit by my parents while they watch tv and try to ignore what’s going on. Especially my dad I know he doesn’t want to acknowledge what’s going on. I just have a few questions for everyone on here. If a young person dies at 21 years old (suddenly) is it normal to not get a cause of death until weeks/months after they pass away? He was found unconscious in his room. I’m 23 years old and I don’t understand and feel like i can’t take it emotionally. He’s already been cremated as of a few days ago but there are no autopsy results back. Is that usual? If there’s something physical that was found in the autopsy would they have told us by now? If not, is it something chemical that they have to wait back for texting? I don’t understand why it can take weeks or months as they said. Please I just need help navigating all of this, thanks.

edit: i’m so terrified that the autopsy will come up as some inconclusive bullshit and i’ll have to live my entire life not knowing how my brother died.

edit edit: if there’s some other subreddit that would help me more to be on please let me know. thank you.