Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is professional training for clergy and lay persons of all faiths and denominations.
CPE helps these individuals best serve as spiritual care providers not only to patients, families, and staff in hospitals and other healthcare facilities but to the military and others in the community — such as to those in places of worship, schools, prisons, and homeless shelters. It also prepares chaplains for board certification.
Bayhealth’s CPE Program is approved by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Inc. (ACPE) to offer Level I and Level II CPE units. These units are offered through an Extended Internship that runs for 16 weeks, with sessions available in the Fall/Winter and Spring, as well as a Summer Intensive Internship that lasts 8 weeks.
CPE training takes place at our Kent and Sussex campuses in a safe and supportive learning environment. Bayhealth’s CPE students are integrated into the interdisciplinary team and will gain firsthand experience offering spiritual care to patients and their loved ones in a variety of specialties including oncology, cardiology, pediatrics, palliative care, orthopedics, intensive care, labor and delivery, and emergency and trauma care.
Extended Internship
(Fall/Winter and Spring Sessions)
The Extended Internship comprises seminars, plus 25 hours of Pastoral Care per week that includes weekends as well as overnight on-call rotations. The Fall/Winter session is held September through December. The Spring session is held February through May.
Summer Intensive Internship
The Summer Intensive Internship comprises seminars, plus 40 hours of Pastoral Care per week that includes weekends as well as overnight on-call rotations. This session is held July through August.
Tuition and Fees
The tuition fee for each CPE unit is $850. There is also a $50 nonrefundable fee to hold a student’s place once he or she is accepted into Bayhealth’s CPE Program. The $50 will be applied to the student’s tuition. There are also scholarship and tuition payment options available.
Who Should Apply
Bayhealth’s CPE Program is for clergy, seminary students, ordinants, and others who aspire to provide spiritual and pastoral care to members of our community. More specifically, those qualified to apply include:
- Seminary students with one year at an accredited theological school or equivalent
- Ordained, licensed or commissioned clergy with one year at an accredited theological school or equivalent
- Committed members of a religious/faith community with an endorsement
- Lay ministers or caregivers with an undergraduate degree (any field is acceptable) and some theological education (preferred) who are either engaged in pastoral care or preparing for pastoral ministry
- Healthcare workers
- Volunteer chaplains
How to Apply
Download and complete your application and mail it in with your $50 non-refundable application fee. Please make your check payable to Bayhealth Medical Center and write CPE in the memo section. Your application and check should be mailed to:
Bayhealth Pastoral Care
Mail Code 1127
640 South State Street
Dover DE 19901
Questions? Call Bayhealth’s Pastoral Care at 302-744-6147 (Kent) or 302-430-5118 (Sussex).