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 by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) to offer Level I, Level II and Certified Education CPE:
ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education
1 Concourse Pkwy, Suite 800
Atlanta, GA 30328
Phone: 404-320-1472
Fax: 404-320-0849
Email: acpe@acpe.edu
Website: www.acpe.edu
The CPE Summer Intensive program is a full-time, 11-week session. It is open to seminarians, clergy, qualified lay people and others needing a unit of CPE. The unit will be in-person with clinical experience at Iowa Methodist Medical Center and Blank Children’s Hospital.
Applications are reviewed beginning in January.
- No application fee
- No tuition
- $4,600 stipend
The CPE Residency program is an intensive full-time, 12-month program, beginning mid-August. UPHDM's full residency includes three units of CPE. It is open to seminarians, clergy and qualified lay people. Units are in-person with clinical time occurring at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Blank Children’s Hospital and Iowa Lutheran Hospital.
Applications are reviewed beginning in January.
- $44,000 annual stipend
- Health insurance benefits
- No application or tuition fees
- One previous unit of CPE required for application
- Completion of master's degree generally required (degrees in religious fields preferred)
This CPE Extended Unit is a part-time program spread over five months. It is open to seminarians, clergy, qualified lay people and others needing a unit of CPE. The unit will be in-person. The unit generally begins in October.
Applications are reviewed beginning in June.
- No application fee
- No tuition
- $2,700 stipend
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 ACPE 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.