Clinical Pastoral Education at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
Sutter Medical Center Clinical Pastoral Education
The ACPE Certified CPE™ program at Sutter Medical Center offers interfaith, professional training for people exploring a career in spiritual care or seeking ministry preparation. Accredited by ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education (the only CPE accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education), our program upholds high standards for both our curriculum and our educators.
Designed for students who have completed an undergraduate degree and some theological study, this program is student-centered, deeply reflective and often life-changing. Students take an active role in their learning and clinical work, serving as members of the hospital care team.
Our approach blends group learning, real-world clinical experience, and thoughtful conversations that connect theology with insights from the behavioral sciences.
Students who have completed ACPE Certified CPE™ units have multiple professional opportunities:
- Institutional chaplaincy (hospital, prison, hospice)
- Community ministry
- Lay ministry
- Teaching
- Pastoral counseling
- Spiritual leadership in any faith tradition
- CPE Education
There are three levels of training: Level I, Level II & Certified Educator CPE.
CPE brings theological students and leaders of different spiritual and religious communities (pastors, priests, rabbis, imams, religious orders and others) into supervised encounters with persons in crisis. CPE education helps you develop new awareness about yourself and the people you serve. You learn from the behavioral sciences while also reflecting theologically and spiritually so you can draw from both an understanding of the human condition and the role spirituality plays in your own life and the life of others. While reflecting on the care you provide to others, you develop as a spiritual care provider.
One unit of CPE at Sutter Medical Center requires a minimum of 400 clinical and educational hours. You must have a minimum of 100 hours of individual and group education and 250 hours of clinical work within the hospital setting for each unit of education.
Direct Spiritual Care
As a CPE student, you become part of the Sutter interdisciplinary team. You work as the chaplain on specific clinical areas of the hospital, providing spiritual care to those on your assigned units. As a member of the interdisciplinary team, you attend patient care rounds and communicate closely with other disciplines caring for patients. You also rotate overnight and weekend coverage. When on call for hospital emergencies, you have opportunity to interact with many different professionals and situations in all areas of the hospital.
Didactic Seminars and Workshops
You are educated throughout the program curriculum. We provide weekly didactic presentations during CPE units. Every CPE unit includes resources to enhance your knowledge of the hospital institution, medical diagnosis, behavioral sciences, trauma informed care, culture, interfaith awareness, chaplaincy research, medical ethics and other topics related to contemporary spiritual care. We use the Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento staff and our greater Sacramento community as resources to examine modern concerns in healthcare chaplaincy. Each unit the curriculum will vary to reflect cutting edge issues in spiritual care.
Clinical Supervision
Individual education is a critical component to your learning process. This one-on-one time with your educator provides you opportunities to share and reflect upon your clinical and peer group experiences. Working with your educator, you bring forward areas of growth to help you become a competent spiritual care provider.
Work Within a Peer Group
Group work is foundational to CPE. You join a peer group that is a learning resource and provides support and encouragement throughout the CPE process. You meet with the other CPE students and the educator as a group to reflect upon your religious or spiritual tradition, to present specific encounters of your clinical work, to hone spiritual care skills, to engage in interpersonal group relations and to learn about group dynamics. At the end of the program, you will participate in a final self-evaluation with your peer group and engage feedback.
Reading and Writing
To integrate your learning, there are writing and reading assignments directly related to professional chaplaincy. Weekly reflections along with clinical presentations, theological essays and other assignments help you to share yourself and your process with the peer group and to receive support as you integrate your learning.
Specialization
Because students are on call for the entire hospital, you learn to care for people in varied situations. Still, there is opportunity to specialize. You have opportunities to focus in pediatrics, neonatal intensive care, cardiac care, psychiatric patient care, adult ICU care and palliative care. We also offer a second year residency if you wish to deepen a specialization.
To enroll you need to complete an ACPE application form and then interview with an ACPE educator or a designated person familiar with the program.
Inquiries regarding CPE at SMCS should be directed to Kate Kennedy at Kathryn.kennedy@sutterhealth.org at (916) 887-4322.
CPE Residency
This program is offered at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento.
- Twelve-month program (four units offering level IA, Level 1B, Level 2A, and Level 2B CPE)
- Full time: forty-hours a week plus night on call for emergencies
- Students are paid hourly and receive benefits
CPE Extended Units
There are two part-time programs or "extended units" at Sutter Roseville Medical Center. The first requires a commitment of 24 hours per week with mandatory group meetings on Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings. The second is a 12-hour per week commitment with mandatory group meetings on Wednesday afternoons.
Inquiries regarding internships at Sutter Roseville Medical Center should be directed to Gerald Jones at jonesg@sutterhealth.org or (916) 781-1147.
CPE Certified Educator Training
Inquiries regarding Certified Educator training may be directed to Gerald Jones at jonesg@sutterhealth.org or (916) 781-1147.
Our residency year starts at the end of the summer (late August), as is reflected in the following dates. Please note that residents are contracted through one full year and the following dates show only CPE class schedules.
2024 - 2025 Residency
Fall: August 19, 2024 – November 23, 2024 (14 weeks)
Winter: November 24, 2024 – February 22, 2025 (13 weeks)
Spring: Feb 23, 2025 – May 24, 2025 (13 weeks)
Summer: May 25, 2025 – August 17, 2025 (13 weeks)
2025 - 2026 Residency
Fall: August 18, 2025 – November 15, 2025 (13 weeks)
Winter: November 16, 2025 – February 21, 2026 (14 weeks)
Spring: Feb 22, 2026 – May 18, 2026 (12 weeks)
Summer: May 19, 2026 – August 16, 2026 (13 weeks)
2026 - 2027 Residency
Fall: August 17, 2026 – November 21, 2026 (14 weeks)
Winter: November 22, 2026 – February 20, 2027 (13 weeks)
Spring: Feb 21, 2027 – May 15, 2027 (12 weeks)
Summer: May 16, 2027 – August 15, 2027 (13 weeks)
Sutter Roseville extended units/part time programs have the following schedule:
2025
18 Hour (2 unit) – September 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026
12 Hour (1 unit) – October 13, 2025 to June 30, 2026
11 Hour (1 Unit) – October 13, 2025 to June 30, 2026
2026
18 Hour (2 unit) – August 30, 2026 to July 31, 2027
12 Hour (1 unit) – October 13, 2026 to June 30, 2027
11 Hour (1 Unit) – October 13, 2026 to June 30, 2027
Contact the Clinical Pastoral Education Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Sutter Medical Center does not offer a CPE distance learning program.
No, ACPE credit is not granted for previous work experience. However, your previous work or ministry experience will be considered during your application process.
Many theological schools and seminaries grant academic credit for CPE. Contact them directly for this information.
No. Sutter Medical Center chaplains are board certified professional chaplains or CPE students training as professional chaplains.
No.
Complete our online application. Your application will be forwarded directly to our CPE center. If you need support, please email our CPE Educator, Kate Kennedy at Kathryn.Kennedy@sutterhealth.org. If you wish to mail your application to us, use the following address:
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
Spiritual Care Services
2825 Capital Ave
Sacramento, CA 95816
Once we've received your completed information, we'll contact you. We may or may not proceed with an interview depending upon your qualifications as a potential student.
International students should send their completed application to us. Once accepted, the student should contact the ACPE national office to apply for a visa. The visa process can take from six to nine months to complete. The visa must be obtained before you can begin CPE.
The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) and the Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) and other organizations certify chaplains. These organizations typically require four units of ACPE certified CPE™. The American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) is now a member of the ACPE and trains and certifies pastoral counselors. Some CPE is required as a prerequisite. Contact these organizations directly about their requirements.
ACPE applications are received on a continuous basis. Interviews typically begin in March.
The residency year begins in mid to late August and consists of 4 consecutive units (fall, winter, spring, summer). The dates of the units are
2025 - 2026 Residency
Fall: August 18, 2025 – November 15, 2025 (13 weeks)
Winter: November 16, 2025 – February 21, 2026 (14 weeks)
Spring: Feb 22, 2026 – May 18, 2026 (12 weeks)
Summer: May 19, 2026 – August 16, 2026 (13 weeks)
2026 - 2027 Residency
Fall: August 17, 2026 – November 21, 2026 (14 weeks)
Winter: November 22, 2026 – February 20, 2027 (13 weeks)
Spring: Feb 21, 2027 – May 15, 2027 (12 weeks)
Summer: May 16, 2027 – August 15, 2027 (13 weeks)
ACPE CPE offers Level 1A, Level 1B, Level 2A, and Level 2B CPE, as well as Certified Educator CPE, in sequence. The outcomes for each level must be completed before moving to the next level. CPE at SMCS is offered in single units (11-14 weeks), in a year-long program (4 consecutive units).
In addition to completing the ACPE application, interested students are encouraged to have the following basic prerequisites:
One Unit Interns (Sutter Roseville only)
- Graduation from a CHEA accredited college or university
- Theological study
- Authorization to function in chaplaincy by a religious authority
- Ministry or spiritual care experience
- Other educational experience
Additional Criteria for Year Long Residents (SMCS)
- Graduate level education from a CHEA accredited school, preferably theological, or capacity to function at this level
Additional Criteria for Certified Educator CPE
- Successful meeting of ACPE level II Outcomes
- Previous experience, which includes having functioned in a pastoral or spiritual care role for at least three years
- Membership in the ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education™
All CPE Applicants Must Demonstrate
- Ability to function within a chaplain role
- Motivation for challenge and personal growth
- Willingness to be a contributing member of a small peer group
- Ability to support persons of diverse religious traditions
- Capacity to be a team member and to communicate professionally
There is no fee to take CPE at Sutter.
The Extended CPE program is designed to offer CPE training to those who choose to receive clinical training on a part-time basis. Because groups meet only once a week, along with flexible clinical hours, many students continue their present employment while participating in the program. Extended CPE students can participate in either the 24 or 12 hour a week program.
For detailed information about the Extended CPE program, email Chaplain Gerald Jones at JonesG@sutterhealth.org.
Sutter Medical Center Sacramento is a multi-facility medical center campus located in downtown Sacramento, and students provide patient care on all clinical areas. Ose Adams Medical Pavilion is a 281-bed specialty medical center that comprises general acute medical/surgical units and two emergency services departments (adults and pediatrics). Ose Adams also has units that provide advanced services for cancer, orthopedics, spine, neurology and neurosurgery. Anderson Lucchetti Women's and Children' Center is a 242-bed specialty medical facility which includes intensive care units for medical, cardiac, and neurological patients. Anderson Lucchetti also provides women's and children's specialty services. These services include labor and delivery, high risk maternity, neonatal intensive care, pediatric, and pediatric intensive care units.