Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Des Moines Area Hospitals
Clinical Pastoral Education Program Overview
Spiritual care is valued as a vital component of the care of patients, their families and staff. Our Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programs provide a clinical ministry immersion experience that sets the stage for profound learning and personal growth. CPE provides clinical education for clergy, theological students, members of religious orders and laypersons.
CPE Programs
UnityPoint Health - Des Moines is accredited to offer Level I, Level II and Certified Education CPE by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE).
This CPE Summer Intensive program is an intensive full-time internship. It is open to seminarians, clergy, qualified lay people and others needing a unit of CPE. The unit will be in-person with the option of meeting virtually if necessary. Clinical experience is at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Blank Children’s Hospital.
- Tuition is $1,000
The CPE Residency program is an intensive full-time internship, beginning mid-August to mid-August. It is open to seminarians, clergy, qualified lay people and others needing a unit of CPE. The unit will be a hybrid style with most seminar time occurring virtually and clinical time occurring in-person at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Blank Children’s Hospital.
- $40,000 annual stipend
- Health Insurance benefits
- $100 fee due upon acceptance (no application or tuition fees)
- 1 previous unit of CPE required for application
- Completion of Master level theological education generally required
This CPE Fall Extended program is a part-time extended unit, spread over 4.5 months. It is open to seminarians, clergy, qualified lay people and others needing a unit of CPE. The unit will be in-person with the option of meeting virtually if necessary. Clinical experience is at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Blank Children’s Hospital (1-2 students may be accepted with clinical placement outside of UnityPoint Health – Des Moines).
- Tuition is $1,000
Curriculum
Each unit of CPE is a minimum 400 clock hours, consisting of at least 100 hours of structured education and at least 250 hours of supervised clinical service. All CPE units are taught by an ACPE Certified Educator and are based on the 2020 ACPE Objectives and Outcomes.
Application Process
To apply to one of the CPE programs you must:
- Complete the ACPE Application. Use the CPE Application Writing Guide for guidance on answering the questions in the application.
- Email the completed application to eric.johnson@unitypoint.org. No application fee required.