Chaplaincy Residency

UofL Hospital is fully accredited by ACPE, Inc. to offer programs of clinical pastoral education (CPE). ACPE is nationally recognized as an accrediting agency in the field of clinical pastoral education by the U.S. Secretary of Education through the U.S. Department of Education.

We are consistent with our mission to serve as a major teaching hospital for the education and training of health care providers and to provide an unequaled level of measurable quality in the delivery of health care that is responsive to the needs and values of the patient, their families and staff. UofL Hospital supports CPE training. We believe that total patient care demands attention to the spiritual, as well as the physical and emotional needs of each patient. The CPE program is an integral part of the chaplaincy services department and students work alongside experienced spiritual care clinicians.

Clinical Pastoral Education is interfaith professional education for ministry. It brings theological students, ministers of all faiths (pastors, priests, rabbis, imams and others) and interested laypersons into supervised encounters with people in crisis. Out of intense involvement with people in need, and the feedback from peers and teachers, students develop a new awareness of themselves as people and of the needs of those to whom they minister. From theological reflection on specific human situations, they gain a new understanding of ministry. Within the interdisciplinary team process of helping others, they develop skills in interpersonal and inter-professional relationships.

UofL Hospital offers both CPE internships for single training units or extended units and a year-long CPE residency program with three training units. As a major teaching hospital and the only Level I trauma center in the region, UofL Hospital offers unique opportunities for students and residents interested in learning the art and science of spiritual care by working with an experienced team of medical professionals in an exciting clinical environment. Along with trauma care, clinical placements include various specialized intensive care units including a burn unit, an inpatient oncology program that includes a bone marrow transplant unit, and outpatient oncology services at UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center -- one of the nation’s finest cancer treatment and research institutions. Chaplains also work with the palliative medicine team and on the psychiatric units.

Internship program

Download a CPE Application
All intern applications must be accompanied by a $50 application fee. All completed applications must be submitted via email.

CPE intern units are offered three times per year during the spring, summer and fall. Extended units (32 weeks) stretching from fall into spring of the following year are possible. Each unit provides 400 supervised hours of training following orientation, which include clinical hours as well as structured educational time. Individual and group supervision provides opportunities to learn from clinical experience, grow in self-knowledge and pastoral identity, and develop spiritual caregiving skills. ACPE Certified Educators and an interdisciplinary adjunct faculty provide clinical supervision and instruction in pastoral theology, spirituality and the behavioral sciences.

During the spring and fall, CPE units are scheduled for 16 weeks and require a time investment of 25 hours per week on-site. The summer CPE unit is scheduled for 11 weeks and requires a full-time (40 hours) commitment per week. Tuition for one unit is $850 and students will receive a stipend of $750 upon successful completion of a unit of CPE. Admission to CPE requires graduation from high school/completion of a GED, or ordination/commission by a faith community. Applicants need to complete and submit a CPE application and schedule an admission interview. A $50 non-refundable application fee is due when the application is received and will be applied to the tuition if the applicant is accepted into the program. The deadline for application to the CPE internship program is six weeks before the start of the unit. This ACPE accredited program does not discriminate against persons because of race, ethnicity, religious/spiritual tradition, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or disability.

Residency program

Download a CPE Application

UofL Health Careers online posting for 2024 CPE Residency

Application Deadline for 2024 Residency Cohort: September 30, 2023

UofL Hospital offers a one-year residency program in Clinical Pastoral Education. This program is designed to prepare students for board certification as a professional chaplain and to provide extensive and intensive education for spiritual caregivers. Along with staff chaplains, interns and peers, chaplain residents provide spiritual care to patients, families and staff members on a full-time basis and have the opportunity to develop their professional skills in various clinical settings. Over the course of 12 months (three units of CPE), the program offers a progressive curriculum that addresses educational outcomes and objectives for Level I and Level II CPE. Certified ACPE supervisors and an interdisciplinary adjunct faculty provide clinical supervision and instruction. Completion of a master of divinity degree or equivalent from an accredited school, ordination, and successful completion of one unit of CPE are preferred as prerequisites for admission to the program. This ACPE accredited program does not discriminate against persons because of race, ethnicity, religious/spiritual tradition, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or disability.

Chaplain residents are employees of UofL Hospital and candidates interested in the residency program need to apply both online through UofL Hospital’s Human Resources Department and by submitting a regular CPE application to the manager and director of Chaplaincy Services. The stipend for the one-year residency is $40,227. In addition, residents can participate in the employee benefits program. There is no application fee or tuition for Residents. The CPE residency begins with the end of Jan. pay cycle and ends with the end of Jan pay cycle of each year. The application deadline for the residency program is Sept 30.

Residency applicants must apply through the HR careers online posting and submit a completed ACPE application, including previous self and Certified Educator final evaluations and verbatim to Frank Woggon or Les Small Stokes. All completed applications must be submitted via email.

ACPE Certified Educator Program

CPE for Certified Educator Candidates at UofL Hospital is an accredited program that teaches the theory and practice of pastoral supervision in a clinical context. It is designed for experienced spiritual care professionals who demonstrate excellence in their practice and desire to educate others in programs of CPE as spiritual care providers. Certified Educator Candidates (CECs) learn the theory and practice of clinical pastoral supervision, experience supervising Level I and II CPE students and all aspects of CPE programming under the guidance and supervision of experienced ACPE Certified Educators. In addition, they will provide spiritual care to patients, families, and staff and thus practice while they learn to teach the art and science of spiritual care.

CPE for Certified Educator Candidates at UofL Hospital is offered in collaboration with other ACPE centers in Louisville in order to provide CECs with a rich learning experience and diverse educational resources. Candidates who are accepted into the training program at UofL Hospital, will receive their clinical training and individual supervision at the hospital’s CPE center and their training units will be registered with the national ACPE office through the center at UofL Hospital. Group education and group supervision will be provided in collegial collaboration with centers in the ACPE Louisville cluster.

Those interested in the ACPE Certified Educator Program may contact the director of chaplaincy services or the program manager to inquire about training opportunities.

This program is accredited by: