Clinical Pastoral Education

Description of the Clinical Setting: Stanford Health Care is a 500 bed academic medical center with an international reputation for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as
cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, orthopedics and transplantation. The Stanford University Medical Center is comprised of three world-renowned institutions: Stanford Health Care, the Stanford University School of Medicine, and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. CPE Students (Interns, Residents, Level II Specialization and Supervisory CPE students) provide spiritual care across Stanford Health Care and are on-call for Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

About the Program: Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is interfaith professional education for
ministry. It includes in-depth study of ourselves and those entrusted to our care. This is what
Anton Boisen, a founder of CPE, called “the study of living human documents.” Through reflective practice and feedback from peers and teachers, students develop new awareness of themselves and their ministry.

Four programs of ACPE Inc. CPE are conducted on the Stanford campus; they are a single unit (summer) internship, a year-long residency, a certified educator course, and a second-year specialization.

Program participants are part of the university community at Stanford, and we are located on campus and have direct access to extensive resources and facilities. While the assigned clinical area will be at SHC, CPE chaplains are included in on-call coverage (evening and weekends) at Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (LPCH Stanford). Each clinical setting offers an extensive range of specialties and medical education typical of major teaching hospitals.

CPE Internship: The Summer internship begins the first week of June and concludes the third weekend of August. The program is designed to introduce healthcare and spiritual care providers to the practice of professional chaplaincy.

CPE Residency: A year-long residency begins in September, the Wednesday after Labor Day, and concludes the fourth weekend of the following August. The program is designed to provide participants with opportunitiesfor Level I, and II CPE. Graduates receive four units of ACPE Inc. certified CPE.

Second-Year, Level II Specialization: The spiritual care specialty draws upon the ACPE Objectives to: a) become familiar with and apply relevant theories and methodologiesto one’s ministry specialty (310.3), b) formulate and apply one’s philosophy and methodology for the ministry specialty (310.4), and c) demonstrate pastoral competence in the practice of the specialty (310.5). SHC is accepting applicationsfor a second-year specialty fellowship.

Certified Educator Program: The Certified Educator Program trains ACPE Certified Educators.
Applicants must hold a graduate theological degree or its equivalent, ordination or commissioning recognized by ACPE, endorsement/statementof accountability from an appropriate religious/spiritual authority as determined by ACPE, successful completion of four units of Level I/Level II ACPE Inc. CPE, demonstration of spiritual care and conceptual competence, and successful evaluation of the competenciesfor admission to a Certified Educator Program.

For More Information on How to Apply:
Applications for CPE should be directed to the Clinical Pastoral Education Program, Spiritual Care Service, Stanford Health Care. SpiritualCare@stanfordhealthcare.org. All submitted applications should include a processing fee of $30.