Application
This unit applies to embalming staff and involves working autonomously with a high level of responsibility. | |
Prerequisites
Nil | |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA | ||
1 | Prepare for a pre-embalming case analysis. | 1.1 | Identify and prepare mortuary area and appropriate mortuary instruments and equipment according to workplace policies and procedures, relevant legislation and infection control practices. |
1.2 | Prepare and use personal protective equipment according to workplace policies and procedures, and relevant legislation. | ||
1.3 | Transfer the deceased person from mortuary refrigerator to mortuary room according to workplace policies and procedures, and relevant legislation. | ||
1.4 | Confirm death using appropriate non-invasive observation techniques. | ||
1.5 | Identify and respect social, cultural and religious requirements. | ||
1.6 | Advise team members of the extent of the procedure to be performed and associated precautions that may need to be taken and discuss emotional issues likely to be encountered with a particular case. | ||
2 | Analyse embalming requirements. | 2.1 | Categorise the deceased into an appropriate body classification. |
2.2 | Identify physical and chemical changes of the body. | ||
2.3 | Inspect the body for a range of body conditions using appropriate instruments, apparatus and materials. | ||
2.4 | Identify and evaluate effects and treatments required for any identified body conditions. | ||
2.5 | Determine appropriate embalming techniques and required solution quantity, strength, pressures and rates of flow, taking into account identified body conditions and effects of different treatments. |
Required Skills
Required skills communication skills, including clear and direct communication and active listening and questioning techniques, to advise team members of embalming procedures and precautions and identify potential emotional issues problem-solving skills to identify effects of body conditions and appropriate treatments literacy and numeracy skills to identify and calculate appropriate solution requirements according to different body conditions and treatments self-management skills to monitor own response to dealing with deceased bodies and take corrective action. |
Required knowledge infection control practices and procedures relevant workplace policies and procedures anatomy, physiology and post-mortem changes effects of embalming on various causes of death, medical treatments and procedures body examination techniques mortuary equipment, instruments and materials social, cultural and religious requirements funeral services industry parameters and protocols for dealing with the deceased broad working knowledge of relevant federal, state or territory, and local government legislation and regulations relating to OHS, infection control and handling human remains. |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the following is essential: ability to analyse the embalming requirements by examination to evaluate the treatments and effects for specified body conditions and problems and calculate fluid dilutions for specific conditions using appropriate formulas ability to determine the appropriate embalming techniques and communicate these to mortuary staff advising of potential emotional issues knowledge of infection control practices and a full range of embalming procedures determining embalming requirements on multiple occasions to ensure consistency of performance and ability to respond to and evaluate different situations. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure: demonstration of skills in a facility, most commonly a mortuary, where deceased bodies may be safely stored and examined access to deceased bodies that require embalming access to mortuary instruments and equipment access to personal protective equipment. |
Methods of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: observation of candidate inspecting deceased bodies and identifying appropriate embalming techniques for a range of body conditions written or verbal questioning to assess knowledge and understanding of all OHS and infection control practices and procedures review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate. |
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example: SIFMWK014A Treat the arterial system SIFMWK015A Treat abdominal and thoracic cavities. | |
Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Mortuary instruments and equipment may include: | injection instruments, including: gravity and bulb syringe arterial tube hand pump parietal needle centrifugal pump stopcock Y tube embalming machine drainage instruments, including: drain tube iliac drain tube grooved director angular spring forceps electric or motorised aspirating instruments, including: autopsy aspirator hydroaspirator nasal tube aspirator trocar hydrovalve trocar personal protective equipment positioning devices sterilisation equipment sterilisation chemicals and solutions portiboy instruments and instrument tray dressing table disinfectant hand solution, paper towels and soap pedestal lamps first aid kit aneurysm needle bistoury knife scalpels scissors separators suture needles needle holder forceps cavity fluid injectors trocar buttons and applicator. |
Workplace policies and procedures may include: | standard operating policies and procedures standards and certification requirements communication protocols quality assurance procedures OHS procedures, such as: infection control procedures manual handling procedures material handling procedures, including hazardous or infectious materials emergency procedures, including fire and accident procedures security procedures. |
Relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice may include: | OHS Anatomy Act Human Tissue Act Skin Penetration Act Coroner's Act Public Health Act Environment Protection Act local government regulations funeral services industry code of practice Worksafe Australia certification and standards. |
Infection control practices may include: | universal precautions, including: use of personal protective equipment presumption that all blood and body fluids are infectious covering exposed cuts and abrasions, particularly on workers' hands, with waterproof coverings prior to commencing work immediate treatment of puncture wounds or abrasions use of protective clothing when cleaning spillage of body fluids checking for infectious and transmittable disease sterilising apparatus and instruments providing sterile storage areas for instruments using disinfectants safe removal and disposal of soiled and contaminated garments safe ventilation avoiding invasive procedures on bodies immunisation periodic X-rays seeking medical advice recording injury and incidence reporting injury and incidence providing first aid kit performing first aid as necessary labelling clothing. |
Personal protective equipment may include: | disposable gloves heavy duty gloves barrier gown or suit waterproof overshoes waterproof aprons splash proof masks eye goggles face visor hair cover filtered air supply: negative air pressure powered positive air supply. |
Non-invasive observation techniques may include: | checking for no pulse looking for fixed and dilated pupils observing no apparent breathing. |
Social, cultural and religious requirements may include: | dress standards gender of embalming personnel time required between death and burial or cremation orientation of the deceased person restrictions on methods of embalming permissible. |
Body classification may include: | gender age weight size body build. |
Body conditions may include: | body moisture content vascular problems delayed embalming discolouration exposure to drug therapies. |
Sectors
Sector | Funeral Services |
Competency Field
Mortuary Work and Embalming | |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. | |
Licensing Information
Not applicable.