The University of Tennessee Medical Center is an acute care teaching hospital with an additional 21 skilled-nursing facility beds. UT Medical Center’s mission is three-fold: patient care, education and discovery. More than 500 students, residents and fellows train each year in programs of the Graduate School of Medicine. UT Medical Center employs nearly 4,000 people and is noted for its friendly and hospitable atmosphere. Pastoral Care Services makes a significant contribution to the creation of this atmosphere and is a valued member of the healthcare team at the hospital and in the community.

CPE Program Overview

Accreditation

CPE Programs

CPE at the University of Tennessee Medical Center can be experienced in single intensive or extended units and yearlong residencies.

• Summer Intensive Unit—The Summer Intensive Unit of CPE requires a student to commit to spending more than 40 hours per week for 10 to 12 weeks service as a chaplain intern in the hospital. Seminary students and others who can make the necessary time commitment prefer this model. Intensive unit students typically serve as on call chaplain at least once a week.

• Extended Unit—The Extended Unit is for those who work in parishes, churches, or other ministry settings not situated in the hospital (i.e., directors of education, pastors, associate pastors, lay workers). This allows students to use their community ministry setting as the site for a portion of their “clinical” experience and to meet with peers at the hospital for supervision of their ministry. Extended students typically serve two to four nights per month as on-call chaplain interns in the hospital and attend a full day of class each week for 20 to 24 weeks.

• Yearlong Residency—this program offers students an opportunity to complete three units of CPE throughout a calendar year. The primary clinical component of this educational process is being assigned as the chaplain to several patient care units within the hospital. This experience offers CPE residents an opportunity to provide pastoral care to patients, families and fellow staff members, to reflect on their ministry in a supervised peer group, and to learn about functioning as a team member. A typical chaplain resident workweek consists of approximately 50 hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday), plus regular duty on the on-call rotation. Of the 50 hours, residents can expect to spend six to eight hours in seminars; one hour in individual supervisory consultation; and six to nine hours in reading, writing and preparing clinical case material for supervision. Residents are expected to spend a minimum of 27 hours per week providing pastoral care in their assigned clinical areas.

Application Process

A completed application, available from www.acpe.edu, completed Faith Group Information Form and $35 application fee should be sent to the Department of Pastoral Care. Although special circumstances will be considered, the following are the minimum admissions requirements.

• Graduation from college
• Completion of at least one year of graduate theological education from an ATS-accredited institution
• Completion of one unit of CPE in an accredited center for residency applicants.
• Submission of written application materials
• Faith group endorsement
• Interview with the staff and representatives of the Pastoral Advisory Committee in which the student demonstrates religious and theological interests and commitment and openness to the process of experimental learning
• Acceptance by UT Medical Center

Remuneration for CPE chaplain residents is through a stipend and benefits. The current resident stipend is $24,000.

For further information, please call the Pastoral Care office at 865.305.9704.