Online Education Provided by The Canadian College of Funeral Service (CCFS)

On-Demand Continuing Education Courses

In Conjunction With

Online Continuing Education Courses

The OACFP has partnered with the Canadian College of Funeral Service (CCFS) to provide you access to numerous on-line continuing education courses that are available for professional development and have been accredited for CE hours toward license renewal. Each course is set up so that a participant can either complete it in one session or they may access it over time at different intervals. Upon completion of the course, OACFP will send the participant a certificate of completion. Each completed course is equivalent to three (3) hours of credit.

Course Fees (each course): OACFP Member - $149.00 Non-Member - $199.00

Once registrations are received and paid you will receive an email directly from CCFS with login credentials to complete the course.

NOTE: The offices for CCFS will be closed for from December 22 until January 4. During that time you will not be able to receive credentials for course registrations.

Available On-Line Courses:

Are You Ready for the Pandemic? 3 CEC Category A

This course identifies the specific concerns and issues that funeral service professionals will face during a pandemic and how to cope with them. It includes a step-by-step preparation & response plan that can be easily adopted by any size firm allowing continued and uninterrupted care to the bereaved.

CJD – A Deeper Understanding 3 CEC Category A

This course looks at Creuztfeld Jacob Disease and its implications to the embalmer. The student will learn the necessary precautions that the embalmer should take in preparing the “CJD case.” These precautions are suggested within the context of the nature of the prion that causes the disease. Relevant and up to date research is presented to the student and evaluated from an embalmer's perspective.

Effective Conflict Resolution 3 CEC Category A

Conflict in the workplace is an unwelcome occurrence. The funeral home is no different; in fact, it may be more prevalent as a result of our work surroundings. Many of our funeral homes are fast-paced, time-restricted, emotionally charged environments, and the demands placed on us by families and our employers can stretch us to our limits. Understanding how to constructively deal with conflict instead of running away from it is important to maintain a healthy work environment. When conflict is mishandled, it can cause tremendous harm and hurt to both professional and personal relationships. When handled in a respectful and positive way, however, conflict provides an opportunity to reinforce the relationship between parties. By understanding what conflict is and learning how to resolve conflicts, you can maintain the strength of your personal and professional relationships.

Embalming for Long-Term Preservation 3 CEC Category A

This course suggests how a body should be prepared for “long-term preservation.” The complications that an embalmer may encounter in holding a body for extended periods of time are studied as well as the procedures and treatments to overcome them.

Ethics – A Basic Understanding 3 CEC Category A

This course is a short introduction to “Aristotelean-Thomistic” ethics. The participant is asked to examine the unique character of the bereaved/funeral director relationship. The course demonstrates that funeral business should operate on a unique set of business principles. The participant is challenged to examine the decision-making process and the outcomes of making ethical choices.

Hair Restoration – An Embalmers Guide 3 CEC Category A

This course was created by an experienced wig maker, make-up artist and educator and was developed specifically for the funeral service profession. The knowledge gained in this course will increase the embalmer’s skills to a whole new level, thereby contributing in making the viewing experience much more positive for bereaved families. The leaner will acquire knowledge about hair direction and the process for matching current hair texture, length and style. You will also learn how to utilize photographs of the deceased as reference pictures when performing hair restoration. The course is delivered in a written document and supplemented with numerous images, photographs and instructional video presentations. (A strong wired internet connection is highly recommended when completing this on-line course due to the streaming of the video content.)

Is Your Chemical Disinfectant Killing Everything? 3 CEC Category A

This course looks at the various microbes that the embalmer must deal with in the preparation room and their effective destruction. The various types of disinfectants and their effective use are studied.

Jaundice and Edema – An Embalmer’s Guide 3 CEC Category A

This course will cover the causes of jaundice and edema; the problems and issues that the embalmer faces; and the treatments and approaches that should be considered. The information shared in this course will guide you to understand the issues involved and the proper treatments to overcome them so that the best possible results can be achieved. For the embalmer that wants to better their skills, the content in this course will help you to get more comfortable in handling these cases and will guide you in understanding the reason and purpose of various approaches. An embalmer needs to understand the issues at hand and to evaluate as to which treatment will be the best approach to take. The knowledge gained in this course can help you to become more competent in handling these two tough cases to get the best possible results.

Memorialization – New Approaches to an Old Theory 3 CEC Category A

As part of our grieving process, we memorialize the deceased in ways that are meaningful to us, which aids in our grief work. This typically involves holding a service and keeping something from the service for you to remember the deceased; possibly a flower from the spray, a memorial card from the service, or maybe even some cremated remains in a piece of keepsake jewelry. While these are all acceptable means of memorialization, the trends in this day and age are to have something more personal, something that the bereaved can display or keep with them permanently or pay tribute to the deceased in a way that matches their personal characteristics. Memorialization helps to ensure that our family and traditions live on. As funeral service professionals, we need to embrace the needs of our everchanging consumers and keep educated on the new and emerging opportunities that one can do with regards to memorializing their loved ones

Negotiation - How to Reach Agreement 3 CEC Category A

Negotiation is an important part of our everyday lives. Through our daily actions, we encounter many opportunities where it is necessary to negotiate certain issues, whether they are minor or more complex. Some of us are good at it while others are not. This continuing education module will introduce you to different negotiation styles and help you to identify and develop your negotiation skills.

New Profession or Ancient Trade - Who are end-of-life doulas and can they enrich our offerings? 3 CEC Category A

A new profession that is making a mark in the world of deathcare is emerging in North America and around the world: end-of-life doulas (EOL doulas or EOLDs). This short, self-guided course will help you understand who doulas are, what their scope of practice is, and their potential impact on those of us who are licensed funeral professionals in a rapidly evolving landscape. Most funeral directors in Canada understand their own profession’s history, but they may have little knowledge of the history of the end-of-life doula. This professional development opportunity will provide a succinct history of the (re)emergence of community deathcare, offer insight into present-day practices, and examine future opportunities fro mutual enrichment in the growing field of end-of-life and post-death services.

Organizational Change – Succeeding & Implementing Change in the Workplace 3 CEC Category A

The Funeral Service profession has seen dramatic changes in the last few decades. As in other professions, change has been both embraced and avoided. This continuing education module will introduce you to the issues involved with change and provide you with strategies to implement change in your workplace.

Overworked and Overworked – Stress, Burnout and the Funeral Service Professional - 3 CEC Category B

The typical funeral professional will find themselves under a great deal of stress, and possibly feeling the effects of burnout. Stress is a normal part of our everyday life. We cannot eliminate stress completely from our lives, but we can implement strategies and preventative measures in order to minimize the effects of stress and burnout in our personal lives, and contribute to a healthier work environment in the funeral home. This course will define and describe stress and burnout and will examine their contributing factors. The course will also assist a funeral service professional to cope under pressure as it will uncover stress and burnout management strategies.

Specialty Chemicals 3 CEC Category A

This course will help identify the specialty chemicals required to treat a specific case and will also discuss the cause of the condition, the problems faced by the embalmer, the best approaches for treatment, and the proper methods of using the chemicals for each case.

The Funeral Home’s Obligations to Provide Quality Embalming 3 CEC Category A

This course will discuss the roles, responsibilities, and obligations of funeral service professionals in providing the best embalming results possible and a positive viewing experience for the family. Quality embalming should not start in the embalming room. This course will explore the responsibilities and obligations that a funeral director has in making funeral arrangements and how this can be used to enhance the family’s viewing experience. All staff members in the funeral home have a role in contributing to the viewing experiences that families will have. Whether this role is a large one or a small one, topics discussed in this course will describe the roles and responsibilities of all staff members involved. The key is customer satisfaction.

Time Management - Using Your Time Wisely 3 CEC Category A

This course is to provide you with an understanding of time management while also supplying you with tools to help you develop your skills. The course is intended for anyone within the Funeral Profession whose time is often stretched.

Training Apprentices/Interns - Sponsor Training Course 3 CEC Category A

This course will introduce you to effective methods of training apprentices. Many apprentices do not receive proper training that supports them and prepares them for the demands of a funeral service professional. This course will guide you to maximize the potential of the training process. Upon the completion of the course, participants will be able to fulfill their role as a sponsor/mentor to provide effective leadership that will enable them to properly train apprentices by being a good role model and to challenge, support and effectively communicate with apprentices.