Admissions Criteria
Applicants will be admitted according to their ability to provide ministry and their readiness for learning. A personal interview in Little Rock is required. The training fee is $650 per unit for residents. The stipend for the one-year residency is approximately $35,568.
Summer and part-time extended programs are also available at $400 per credit unit.
How to Apply
Complete the application, and email of mail to the following:
Susan McDougal, CPE Program Director
Pastoral Care and Clinical Pastoral Education
UAMS Medical Center
4301 W. Markham St. #561
Little Rock, AR 72205
Clinical Pastoral Education Program application.
Tuition
Tuition is $650 per unit for Chaplain Residents, Summer, and Intern programs. Checks should be made payable to UAMS Medical Center. The UAMS Department of Clinical Pastoral Education will award scholarships to offset the training fee provided those who accept the scholarship commit to providing extra coverage when necessary for the on-call schedule, should the need arise. The extra coverage will occur on a rotational basis among all students who choose to accept the scholarship.
Completion of Training
Upon completing each unit of 400 hours of supervised training, trainees receive certification of the successful completion of one CPE unit. Records of trainee’s completed units are kept at the CPE center where the trainee completed their training.
Institutions typically require four CPE units for the position of Staff Chaplain or an equivalent professional pastoral care position.
The Clinical Setting
The CPE center provides the clinical basis for learning for pastoral care, in contrast to a seminary setting that typically provides an academic environment. The UAMS Medical Center is the state’s only academic medical center. It is responsible for training more than 80 percent of the physicians in Arkansas and the majority of other medical professionals.
UAMS centers of excellence include the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, and Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging.
The UAMS Medical Center is a Level 1 Trauma Center and comprises some 400 inpatient beds. The Medical Center treats 270,000 outpatients annually.
The news magazine, US News & World Report, has named the UAMS Medical Center as one of America’s Best Hospitals for nine consecutive years.
Accreditation
The Clinical Pastoral Education Program at UAMS Medical Center is accredited by the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP) as an international, theologically based covenant community, offering accreditation and certification to individuals and programs that meet standards of expertise in pastoral counseling, pastoral supervision, and psychotherapy.
CPSP confers Diplomate, Pastoral Counselor, Board-Certified Clinical Chaplain, and Board-Certified Associate Clinical Chaplain credentials to individuals who demonstrate competence, meet its standards, aspire to its principles, and commit to its discipline.