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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 threefold: to provide the best humane and compassionate medical treatment; to train healthcare professionals; and to foster research.
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.
Application for CPE
Contact Information
CPE Program Overview
CPE Calendar and Benefits
Accreditation
CPE Programs
Single Clinical Pastoral Education Units
The Residency Year Program
Supervisory Clinical Pastoral Fellowship
Community Calendar
CPE Program Overview
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) students interact with a variety of healthcare professionals, including nurses and nurse anesthetists, medical students, cytotechnologists, radiology technicians, medical ethics students, senior staff physicians, dentists and resident physicians and dentists.
Under the auspices of the Department of Pastoral Care Services, each CPE student functions as chaplain in various assigned areas. To give students a broad range of pastoral experience, clinical placements occur within UT Medical Center in UT Home Care Services/Hospice program in addition to an occasional preaching assignment at a downtown homeless shelter. All students periodically serve as the on-call chaplain who responds to all emergency calls at UT Medical Center. The program is designed to allow all students to practice ministry in extended, short-term and crisis situations in the variety of settings noted above.
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Accreditation
All Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) programs offered at UT Medical Center are accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. The program was fully accredited in 1989 and re-accredited in 1999.
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CPE Programs
CPE can be experienced in a variety of ways at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, including the following.
• Single CPE units
• Yearlong residencies
• Supervisory CPE fellowship
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Single Clinical Pastoral Education Units
Single CPE units can be designed to fit the needs of most students.
o 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. This model often is preferred by seminary students and others who can make the necessary time commitment.
o Extended Unit—For those who work in parish churches or other ministry settings not situated in the hospital (i.e., directors of education, pastors, associate pastors, lay workers), an extended unit of CPE may be the educational program of choice. This allows students to use their parish or other ministry setting as the site for “clinical” experience and to meet with peers (other Extended Unit students and/or hospital residents) at the hospital for supervision of the ministry.
Usually, extended students will serve two to four nights per month as on-call chaplains in the hospital. Typically, a student may design a program that consists of 15 hours per week in direct “ministry” and five hours per week in supervision/study—that is, 20 hours per week for 20 weeks—to achieve credit for having completed a “unit” of CPE.
Some students may wish to have part of that ministry served at UT Medical Center; some may wish to designate their parish or community ministry setting for the duration of their direct “ministry” work. UT Medical Center does its best to tailor hours and programs to fit the needs of local ministers—lay or ordained.
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The Residency Year Program
Year-long CPE is offered through the chaplain residency program. Usually, students may earn credit for having completed four units of CPE through the year. The primary component of this educational process is a clinical assignment of several wards or units within the hospital in which the resident functions as the chaplain and pastor. This experience offers CPE residents the opportunity to provide pastoral care to patients, families and fellow staff members, as they learn to function as a member of a team. At least two major papers and/or projects will be expected of each resident during the year.
Residents are considered full-time employees of UT Medical Center. A typical work week 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 conference; 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. Supervision is provided by the CPE staff.
The application must be evaluated and affirmed by the CPE staff to be ready for this training in accordance with the Standards of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Although special circumstances will be considered, the following are admissions requirements.
• Graduation from college (equivalencies may be considered)
• Completion of at least one year of seminary education (equivalencies may be considered)
• Completion (with supervisor’s and student’s written final evaluation included in the application) of one unit of CPE in an accredited center (equivalencies may be considered)
• Submission of written application materials
• A personal interview with the staff in which the student will demonstrate serious religious and theological interests and commitment and openness to the process of experimental learning
• Acceptance by UT Medical Center
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Supervisory Clinical Pastoral Fellowship
A Fellowship in Supervisory Clinical Pastoral Education is offered on an ongoing basis. The position is not available each year, as the certification process takes some time. This generally is a two-year commitment, contingent on the agreement of the staff, appropriate ACPE representatives and fellow that satisfactory progress is being achieved. The supervisory fellow will begin at an appropriate level of supervisory and training responsibility and move toward increasingly autonomous functioning. The supervisory fellow will function as a chaplain at UT Medical Center. Supervision is provided by the supervisory staff.
Peer Group experience is obtained in staff meetings, meetings with CPE students and regular contact with other supervisors-in-training from neighboring training centers.
Admission of a student to this program is based on potential to assist others in the clinical method of learning, combined with a capacity to acquire techniques and theories of supervision. Admission as a fellow is based on the following.
- Ecclesiastical endorsement
- A period of time in ministry that allows the candidate to demonstrate the capacity to function pastorally (usually not less than three years)
- Completion of program objectives of CPE (this often requires completion of at least four units of CPE.)
- Submission of written application materials
- A personal interview with UT Medical Center staff
- Acceptance by UT Medical Center
Remuneration for CPE residents and supervisors-in-training is through a stipend, insurance benefits, paid vacation days and designated university holidays.
The current stipend for residents is $23,660, and the current stipend for supervisory fellowships is $25,660..
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Contact Information
For Clinical Pastoral Education questions, contact the following.
The Rev. Sheryl Wurl
The University of Tennessee Medical Center
Department of Pastoral Care
1924 Alcoa Highway
Knoxville, TN 37920-6999
865.305.9707
Fax 865.305.9175
For more information regarding Pastoral Care Services or to schedule an appointment, contact the following.
UT Pastoral Care
Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
865.305.9704
After hours, nights, weekends and holidays, the on-call chaplain can be reached at 865.305.9000.
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