Clinical Pastoral Education

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).

Thinking about a Career in Chaplaincy?

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

Admission Requirements

Clergy, theological students, members of religious orders, and laypersons are eligible to apply for a unit of CPE.

The next step after completing your application is an admission interview. This interview provides opportunity for you to ask questions, to discuss your educational goals, and provides time for the interviewer to discuss your application, engage you as a person and learner, and to assess your readiness for CPE. The personal interview will be held with at least three people who are familiar with CPE and with your application material. The three will include the ACPE Supervisor and may include members of the Professional Advisory Group, the Pastoral Care Staff, and any advanced CPE Students.

Apply Now

You will notice that the front of the CPE Application requests information about your name, address, education, references, etc., and that the back of the form asks you to describe yourself autobiographically, to discuss your religious development, to describe a helping incident, etc. Your completed application will probably be several pages in length.

Send your completed application materials to:

Rev. David Turner
Manager, Clinical Pastoral Education
OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center
530 NE Glen Oak Avenue
Peoria, IL 61637

Application Deadlines

There is a rolling admissions policy based on available openings in any of the CPE programs. The CPE Department will maintain your application for one year.

Applying Online

You may submit your application electronically. Email your completed application to:

david.m.turner@osfhealthcare.org

CPE Application

Student Costs/Stipend

There is no application fee.

The tuition for the CPE Internship is $500.

There is no cost for the CPE Residency.

Please note:
If an applicant is offered a position, they must submit $125 with their acceptance letter to hold the position for the applicant.

For CPE Residents: Upon arrival, the $125 will be used towards payment of their student membership with ACPE.

For Chaplain Interns: Upon arrival, the $125 will be considered a partial payment of their tuition of $500, leaving a remaining balance of $375. The remaining balance is due upon their arrival at the beginning of the program.

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