Have you decided to further your education through Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)? Unsure of where to go for CPE? It can be overwhelming to know where to go since there are hundreds of centers that offer CPE. In this post, we will give you 4 questions to ask to help you decide on the best CPE center for you.
What kind of CPE is right for you at this stage in life?
What is your reasoning for pursuing CPE at this moment? If you know you want to become a hospital chaplain and desire to jump right into completing the four units of CPE you need then a residency would be right for you.
Some residency programs require a unit of CPE before being eligible for the residency. It is helpful to enroll in one unit of CPE during seminary or graduate school if you know you would like to be a CPE resident after graduation.
Are you looking for one unit of CPE for ordination in your denomination? Either an extended unit or a summer unit of CPE during seminary is a good fit. Extended units are done over a longer period of time than normal units, which allows clergy or other full-time employees to get the necessary clinical and education hours for a unit of CPE. Many CPE centers offer single units of CPE in the summer since many denominations require a unit for ordination. These single-unit students are generally called interns.
Are there CPE programs located near you or are you willing to relocate for CPE?
If you are located near a metropolitan area in the United States then there is a good chance there is at least one CPE center near you. Follow this link to find our list of ACPE centers by state or click here to go to the ACPE website where you can search for centers.
If you are within driving distance of a CPE center then there are options to get your clinical hours at a facility closer to your home and drive to the center for your educational hours. You will need to talk to the CPE educator to find out your options as you will have to have an approved facilitator at the clinical site for your hours to count.
There are also some online options for CPE where you would gain your clinical hours at a local facility and participate in educational and group time online. These are rare but could possibly grow in the future.
What type of facility would be most beneficial for your career objectives?
It is important to consider what kind of facility you want to complete your clinical hours in for CPE. What are your career goals? If you are looking for a career as a hospice chaplain then you probably want to find a hospital with a strong palliative care or inpatient hospice unit.
Larger, urban hospitals provide different clinical experiences from smaller, community hospitals. CPE is also offered at rehabilitation and longer-term facilities. These programs could be helpful for a future pastor to learn to care for an elderly population.
In addition to the type of clinical experience a CPE center offers, another factor could be the type of ownership of the facility. Government, privately owned, and faith-based facilities can offer different experiences and it can be important to consider which type best suits your goals. It is important to do research about the CPE centers you are considering to see if they align with your career goals.
Does the schedule fit what you are looking for?
This question is probably one that will not be answered until you have an interview for a position, but it is an important one to ask before you accept a position or decide on a CPE center. Work schedules can vary greatly depending on the center’s culture. Some chaplain departments work traditional Monday-Friday 8 am-5 pm schedules, while others provide 24/7 coverage with a chaplain in the building.
Many departments provide on-call coverage if there is not a chaplain in the building. On-call coverage means someone is available to be called in when needed. Some on-call chaplains are required to be in the building but do not have to be working unless called while others are able to take call from home if they live close enough to respond in a certain time frame.
Some chaplains work 8-hour shifts while others work 12-hour shifts. Family obligations as well as the kind of work schedule you are used to or prefer are important factors to consider when selecting a CPE center.
Conclusion: Where to do clinical pastoral education
We hope this article will help you know what to ask when deciding where to do clinical pastoral education. There can be quite a lot of variety between CPE centers and chaplaincy departments. It is good to know what you are getting into before you decide where to do CPE.
For more information on clinical pastoral education, see our article:
Clinical Pastoral Education: A Comprehensive Guide
Here are links to the main CPE organizations:
Association of Clinical Pastoral Education
College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy
Institute of Clinical Pastoral Training
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.
