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 graduate students, clergy, lay people, and others needing a unit of CPE. Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree. Units are in-person with clinical time occurring at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Blank Children’s Hospital and Iowa Lutheran Hospital.
The unit begins the first week in June. We begin reviewing applications and interviewing in December the preceding year. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, so candidates are encouraged to apply early.
- No application or acceptance 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 provides students with three units of CPE. It is open to graduate students, clergy and qualified lay people. Applicants must have completed a unit of CPE and master’s degree (or nearly completed if in a chaplaincy program). Units are in-person with clinical time occurring at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Blank Children’s Hospital and Iowa Lutheran Hospital.
Application review and interview scheduling begins in January. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, so candidates are encouraged to apply early.
- No application or acceptance fee
- No tuition
- $44,000 stipend
- Health insurance benefits & Paid Time Off
The CPE Extended Unit program is a part-time program spread over six months. During the unit, students meet for class on Mondays. It is open to graduate students, clergy, lay people, and others needing a unit of CPE. Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree. Units are in-person with clinical time occurring at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Blank Children’s Hospital and Iowa Lutheran Hospital.
The unit begins the first week in October and concludes at the end of March. We begin reviewing applications and interviewing in June. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, so candidates are encouraged to apply early.
- No application or acceptance 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 questions to eric.johnson@unitypoint.org.
- Email the completed application to DM_CPE@unitypoint.org. No application fee required.