If you are looking for a career that is both rewarding and involves caring for others, becoming a hospital chaplain may be the perfect choice for you. Chaplains provide spiritual support to patients, families, and hospital staff members. They offer comfort and guidance during difficult times and help create a sense of community in the hospital setting. If you are interested in becoming a hospital chaplain, this blog post will teach you everything you need to know!
If you want to know more about what hospital chaplains do, see our post here.
If you are interested in becoming a hospital chaplain, follow these steps and you will be on your way to a job in healthcare chaplaincy.
I. Education for Chaplains
The first step is to complete your undergraduate studies. You do not need to major in religion or have a degree in theology, but you will need to complete an accredited bachelor’s degree program.
After completing your undergraduate studies, you will then need to complete a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) or equivalent. The APC requires 72 hours of master’s level work in religion or equivalent (there are exceptions for non-academic religious traditions). The exact field of study for the bachelor’s and master’s degrees do not present any distinct advantage or shortcut to finding a job as a hospital chaplain. Clinical pastoral education is the most important educational piece for becoming a hospital chaplain.
Link to Chaplaincy Innovation Lab education listing
II. Religious Affiliation for Chaplains
The next step after completing your education is to become ordained or commissioned through your religious tradition. Each faith group has its own process for ordaining clergy. Some require seminary, some do not. Some have a lengthy process that can take years, while others can commission someone in a matter of weeks. Once you are ordained or commissioned, you will need to complete the specific process required by your faith group to be endorsed for chaplaincy ministry.
The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) requires an endorsement for chaplaincy from an approved faith group. The approved faith groups are from the list of approved groups by the Department of Defense for military chaplaincy. Some hospitals possibly require ordination for chaplains.
Link to Association of Professional Chaplains website
III. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
The final major step to becoming a hospital chaplain is to acquire four units of CPE from an Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) site. The APC requires four units of CPE through the ACPE for board certification. There are other organizations that provide CPE, though ACPE is the oldest and original organization and the only one accredited through the US Department of Education.
If you want to become a hospital chaplain, make sure that the CPE program you are interested in is accredited. This will ensure that the program meets certain standards and will better prepare you for your career as a hospital chaplain. There are many programs to choose from across the country. Some things to consider when choosing a program include cost, location, length of the program, and whether the program offers Level I or Level II CPE.
Each unit of CPE requires a minimum of 100 educational hours and 300 clinical hours. These units can be acquired by being an unpaid intern or by being a CPE resident. Most residencies last one year and provide 3 to 4 units over the course of that year. CPE residents are paid employees of the hospitals providing their education through CPE.
CPE follows an adult learning model, where the student is responsible for setting their own goals and learning through an action-reflection-action model. This means the student will make patient visits and perform other chaplain duties, then reflect on these visits and duties with other students and a supervisor, then go back out to make more visits having learned from their reflection.
The educational side of CPE also includes didactic presentations by other chaplains, healthcare team members, and the CPE supervisor, as well as group discussion time, readings, and verbatims. Verbatims are accounts of patient visits by the student that are presented to their peer group and supervisor for encouragement, feedback, and constructive criticism.
The time commitment for CPE is significant, as it runs anywhere from 26 to 40 hours per week for 12 weeks. The first unit of CPE is an introduction and the student’s opportunity to assess whether chaplaincy is the right fit for them. Many CPE residency programs require one unit of CPE before becoming a resident. This helps the CPE program and the student know that the year-long residency program will be a good fit for everyone involved.
The application process for a CPE residency program is similar to that of other graduate programs. There will be an application fee, and you will need to submit transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. Where the CPE application can be different from other applications is the submission of written essays that include a life overview, spiritual and religious history, and a narrative of a helping incident. There may also be an interview process as part of the application.
Read our more in-depth article on CPE
Link to Association of Clinical Pastoral Education website
Applying for Hospital Chaplain Jobs
The first step in applying for a hospital chaplain position is finding an opening. The best way to do this is through networking. Talk to your friends, family, and clergy colleagues to see if they know of any open chaplain positions. You can also check job postings online, or contact the hospital chaplain at hospitals in your area.
If you find an open position, the next step is to fill out an application. The hospital will likely have an online application, or you can fill out a paper application. Be sure to include all relevant experience and education on your application.
After you submit your application, the hospital will review your qualifications and decide whether or not to interview for the open position.
Caleb is an ordained Baptist minister. He has been a healthcare chaplain for 13 years and has visited over 20,000 patients in the hospital over the last 7 years. He is in the process of board certification through the Association of Professional Chaplains. He is currently the senior chaplain responsible for the pastoral care department at two community hospitals in a larger health system.