Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is practical, hands-on theological education for ministers or seminarians. CPE combines ministry with a curriculum designed to help CPE students learn about themselves as ministers as well as how to meet the spiritual needs of those in their care. Students in CPE Programs at Providence Alaska Medical Center are members of the hospital’s Spiritual Care department and function as chaplains. Students provide bedside ministry to patients and their loved ones, participate in an on-call rotation for weekday night and weekend crisis ministry and work on interdisciplinary care teams. The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., (ACPE) accredits Providence Alaska Medical Center to offer Level I and Level II CPE curriculum. • Level I CPE Curriculum
• Level II CPE Curriculum A Unit of CPE is at least 100 hours of structured group and individual education. Each Unit is accompanied by supervised, clinical practice in ministry. The combined time totals no less than 400 hours. Our CPE program provides a relational learning environment, which involves mutual trust, respect, openness, challenge, conflict and confrontation. This training fosters growth in self-reflection, pastoral formation, and pastoral competence, which includes knowledge, perspective, and the development of clinical skills. CPE at Providence is student focused and is based upon an adult model of education. Students assume responsibility for their ministry and learning, while working as professionals within the hospital. The educational approach relies upon group process, is clinically based, and is grounded in the dialogue between theology and the behavioral sciences. | 
