Department of Spiritual Care

Established in 1977, the Department of Spiritual Care is comprised of full-time ACPE, Inc. Certified Educators, Staff Chaplains, part-time Associate Chaplains, CPE Students, Certified Mindfulness Instructors, and Volunteers. We provide 24-hour spiritual care to a growing healthcare network that is comprised of eleven campuses. Our ACPE, Inc.-accredited programs are innovative and collaborative.

• The central Spiritual Care office is located at the St. Luke’s University Hospital-Bethlehem campus. We have Chapels located at many of our campuses across our network.
• The Spiritual Care Department serves as a leader in Network-wide education on cultural and spiritual diversity, medical ethics and ethical decision-making, resiliency, compassion-based mindfulness and grief and loss.
• 24/7 in-house chaplaincy coverage at SLUH-B provided by CPE Students, Staff Chaplains, and Associate Chaplains, many of whom are local faith leaders.
• Mindfulness Programs are provided throughout the year. Mindfulness Practices are skill-based, and you typically learn the practices and skills in an 8-week course. Clinical studies show that mindfulness helps with stress reduction, improvement in depression and anxiety, more balanced eating and decrease in pain sensitivity. Each course encourages you to develop presence, clarity, and emotional positivity. These practices are a wonderful tool to support health and well-being
• H.O.P.E. at St. Luke’s is a premier program for the Health, Outreach, Prevention, and Education for persons living with HIV / those at risk for HIV.
• St. Luke’s Penn Foundation’s primary campus is located in Sellersville, PA and focuses on a community-based behavioral health support system through out-patient care. Penn Foundation’s Recovery Center provides inpatient and outpatient substance abuse rehabilitation services to adults struggling with addiction.
• Crisis Response Chaplaincy responds to St. Luke’s Allentown, St. Luke’s Anderson, St. Luke’s Monroe County, St. Luke’s Upper Bucks, and St. Luke’s Warren provided by Associate Chaplains.
• Innovative CPE curriculum provides an intense program of reflection on self and others as we provide spiritual care to patients, families, and staff.
• Central to our departmental mission: inclusivity and respect for difference.
• Opportunity for close collaboration with community faith leaders.
• Promotion of healthy work-life balance across our network.

Please click here to view a current list of our staff on our Spiritual Care Department site.

Clinical Pastoral Education Application Steps

• Complete the ACPE application form, including essays, and mark at the top whether you are applying for Residency, Summer Unit Internship or Extended Unit Internship.
• Send the completed application via email or U.S. mail (contact information below)
• For the Internship program, if you are accepted, a $150 deposit secures your position. The deposit is your first payment toward the $450 tuition. The remaining $300 is due the first day of the program.
• For the Residency program, there is no security deposit or tuition payment.
• Please review: Admissions Policy & Procedures
• Please review: Annual Notice

For more information and to send your application:

Rev. Dana C.J. Schroeder, M.Div., BCC
ACPE Certified Educator
Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education
Spiritual Care Department
St. Luke's University Hospital
801 Ostrum Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Phone: 484-526-4773
Fax: 484-526-4336
Email: Dana.Schroeder@sluhn.org

We are an ACPE, Inc. Accredited Clinical Pastoral Education Program.

ACPE National Office Contact Information:
ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education
We Work, Floor 4
120 West Trinity Place
Decatur GA 30030
Phone: 404-320-1472
Fax: 404-320-0849
Email: acpe@acpe.edu
Website: www.acpe.edu

Clinical Pastoral Education Programs

Chaplain Residency
Dates: August 28, 2023 thru August 31, 2024

This full-time 53-week program offers three CPE units of 400 hours each, which includes a minimum of 100 hours of structured group and individual education, a minimum of 250 hours of supervised clinical practice in spiritual care, and at least 50 hours of unstructured learning, i.e., literature research and review, and verbatim writing. There are two integration periods for focused clinical practice between Units I and II, and Units II and III. Residents also share in our 24/7 on-call schedule with Staff Chaplains, Associate Chaplains, and Chaplain Interns.

Residents have access to patients, families and staff on all clinical units at our Bethlehem campus, a Level 1 Trauma Center, for making spiritual assessments and providing spiritual care, and within a culture of safety and healthy work/life balance.

We welcome applications throughout the year, however we strongly encourage early submission, as we have a competitive program. We do not interview all candidates.

• Renumeration: Annualized salary is $36,000 plus employee benefits package which includes health insurance, holidays, and paid time off.
• Criteria for Admission: At least one completed unit of CPE from an ACPE-accredited Center; Master’s-level education or equivalency per ACPE, the Association of Professional Chaplains, Inc. and the Common Standards for Professional Chaplains; a willingness and readiness to learn; curiosity about self and others; and an ability to provide ethical spiritual care with persons of diverse faiths and cultures without imposing one’s own perspective.

Internships

Extended Unit
Date: To Be Determined for the October 2023 through May of 2024

Extended Unit is a part-time six-month/400-hour program designed to help students integrate clinical spiritual practice with personal and interpersonal learning through a minimum of 100 hours of structured group and individual education, a minimum of 250 hours of supervised clinical practice in spiritual care, and at least 50 hours of unstructured learning, i.e., literature research and review, and verbatim writing.

Summer Unit (2024)
Dates: To Be Determined

Summer Unit is a full time 10 week/400-hour program designed to help students integrate clinical spiritual practice with personal and interpersonal learning through a minimum of 100 hours of structured group and individual education, a minimum of 250 hours of supervised clinical practice in spiritual care, and at least 50 hours of unstructured learning, i.e., literature research and review, and verbatim writing.

• Clinical spiritual practice includes assignments on patient care units and sharing in the 24/7 on-call ministry with Staff Chaplains, Associate Chaplains, and Chaplain Residents, at our Bethlehem campus, and/or at other St. Luke’s campuses throughout the region, including St. Luke’s Penn Foundation in Sellersville, where Staff Chaplains will serve as mentors and ACPE-preceptors.
• Personal and interpersonal learning focus on wellness, self-care, and team relationships.
• Criteria for admission: A willingness and readiness to learn as demonstrated in written application materials and interview; curiosity about self and others; and an ability to provide ethical spiritual care with persons of diverse faiths and cultures without imposing one’s own perspective.
• Admission is open to clergy, laity, and persons studying for the ministry. We welcome applications throughout the year, however we strongly encourage early submission, as we have a competitive program. We do not interview all candidates.