Clinical Pastoral Education
Thinking about a Career in Chaplaincy?
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is invaluable training for working with people of all ages who are coping with a life-changing situation, particularly involving their health. It is also a requirement to become a professional Board Certified Chaplain (BCC).
The ACPE program at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center seeks to provide excellent theologically based clinical training for care providers. In our teaching and provision of spiritual care, we are committed to the Mission of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center through justice, compassion, integrity, teamwork, employee well-being, supportive work environment, trust, stewardship, and leadership. The curriculum meets the Standards established by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE).
What is CPE?
CPE is an educational process whereby student care providers are taught to observe, listen, communicate and more effectively respond and attend to the emotional and spiritual needs of others. Our CPE program is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, and trains students in compassionate spiritual care with an emphasis on the “Standards of Practice for Professional Chaplains.”
Through hands-on practice, clinical supervision and academic study, CPE students serve as residents or interns who learn how to listen and attend to care recipients more effectively, interact appropriately with other professionals, provide leadership within their organization, and deeply engage their own personal and spiritual development.
CPE Program Options
The year-long Residency Program is a fifty-two week program and includes four units of CPE. OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center has four stipend positions for $31,000 with full benefits. Future employment at OSF HealthCare is not promised after the conclusion of the residency.
A full-time, intensive Summer Program which lasts between 11 and 12 weeks provides one unit of CPE. At the successful conclusion of the summer unit, students often will consider applying for a CPE Resident position.
An Extended Program, which may meet one day per week between October and March, also provides one “unit” of CPE.
OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center is not accredited to offer Supervisory Education at this time.
One “unit” of CPE consists of 300 hours of clinical time where students visit with care receivers, plus 100 hours of educational seminars, which may include verbatims, individual supervision sessions, case studies, didactics, and inter-personal relationship seminars (IPR).
Some decide to become educators themselves and work toward certification as a supervisory education student supervised by an ACPE Certified Educator.
CPE students also include seminarians who are required to take one unit of CPE as part of their degree program or who take more than one unit as their ministry internship. Our students also include clergy and non-certified chaplains who serve in congregations and other community settings and who want to improve their skills; as well as volunteers in hospitals, hospices, and rehabilitation and skilled nursing care facilities who provide emotional, spiritual and religious support and comfort to patients and families under the supervision of a professional chaplain.
Accreditation
OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center is Accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) to offer Level I and Level ll CPE:
ACPE
One West Court Square, Suite 325
Decatur, Georgia 30033
Phone: (404) 320-1472
Facsimile: (404) 320-0849
E-mail: acpe@acpe.edu
Web Address: www.acpe.edu