Education for professional chaplaincy in the US: mapping current practice in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)

Abstract

In light of questions that have been raised about education for professional healthcare chaplaincy, we examined the skills and knowledge Clinical Pastoral Educators believe students need to perform the essential tasks and responsibilities of a chaplain. At 19 recently re-accredited ACPE centers across the country, we asked educators about the knowledge chaplains need to be effective, the specific content areas they teach, and how didactic education is planned and organized within their programs. Beyond a focus on religious diversity, we found little consensus among educators regarding a core knowledge base that should be taught during CPE. While most respondents in our study recognize the importance of didactic education in preparing students to become chaplains, there is a lack of consistency in didactic curricula across programs. Our findings suggest the need for broader conversation and collaboration among educators, national chaplaincy organizations, and theological schools regarding the goals, priorities, and outcomes of CPE.

Keywords:

• Chaplaincy education
• CPE

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the grant, “Assessing and Reimaging Chaplaincy Education: The Case of Healthcare,” to ACPE from the Henry Luce Foundation which made this project possible.

Notes

1 The role of CPE in chaplain education varies across different countries. It plays a key role in the US, Canada, Ireland and Australia. It does not exist in the UK and plays a minor role in the Netherlands. This variation in chaplain education across national contexts is an important topic for future study.

2 The four required units of CPE do not have to be completed as a year-long CPE residency program but 80% of people applying for board certification in 2017 with the Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Incorporated (BCCI) had completed such a program (George Fitchett unpublished).

3 We focus on ACPE-accredited CPE centers and educators because they continue to provide the majority of clinical training for healthcare chaplaincy in the United States. Further, ACPE is the only specialty accrediting body recognized specifically for the oversight of CPE.