Clinical Pastoral Education At Florida Hospital

Florida Hospital's Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program is designed to provide quality education in effective pastoral care.

Florida Hospital is a 1,800-bed state of the art health care system with numerous Centers of Excellence including the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute, the Florida Children's Hospital, the Orthopedics and Neuroscience Institutes and houses the most active Cardiac Center in the country.

Founded in 1908 by a group of Seventh-day Adventists, the original "sanitarium" has grown into a modern health care system, consisting of seven campuses in the metro Orlando area. The hospital system admits more patients than any other and includes all specialties and tertiary care facilities. Florida Hospital is frequently used as a center of health care by persons in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

The Clinical Pastoral Education program at Florida Hospital began in 1990 and is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. for Level I, Level II and Supervisory CPE.

One of the fastest growing regions in the U.S., Orlando and Central Florida's area attractions include world famous theme parks, Kennedy Space Center, and a host of entertainment facilities, performing arts opera and ballet. With access to both Atlantic and Gulf coasts and many lakes, Central Florida offers a vast array of water sports and fishing. The area is also noted for tennis and golf, and is home to the NBA's Orlando Magic and a spring training facilities for several Major League Baseball teams.

About CPE

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) began in the 1920's as a way to include practical ministry experience in the theological education of ministers. As an early founder said, the intent was to learn theology from studying the "living human document." CPE has evolved into education focused on learning by ministry to persons in need, reflection on that ministry with colleagues and supervisors, and reentry into ministry contexts.

CPE starts with the present learning needs of participants and helps each one grow as a minister and as a person. A particular unit of CPE may have a new seminary graduate just settling into a pastoral identity, a pastor of many years who is enrolled for continuing education and skill development, and a person preparing for specialized ministry in chaplaincy. Each will have individual learning goals, while all will contribute to the learning of the others in the CPE process.

We use methods such as case studies, verbatims, and role-play to focus on ministry issues. Didactic seminars provide information about pastoral care, the hospital setting and the needs of patients and their families. Students explore theological issues and the behavioral sciences, which illuminate human experience and ministry in the context of mutual dialogue, caregiving, challenge and support. Students gain information, perspectives and interpersonal skills which increase effectiveness in any ministry setting, whether parish, institution, or agency.

Florida Hospital is a CPE Center accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. Successful units of training are registered with ACPE, Inc. Some seminaries and faith groups also offer credit toward degrees or field education.

An individual's learning goals can help focus learning efforts in the following areas:

• Pastoral formation, developing personal and pastoral identity and one's own style of engaging others in the process of ministry.

• Pastoral reflection, taking opportunities to reflect on one's self as a person and pastor, in the company of a supervisor, peers, and interdisciplinary colleagues.

• Pastoral competence, learning more effective ways of ministry with a foundation of self-knowledge, pastoral skills, and use of resources from theology and the behavioral sciences.

CPE participants function as part of Florida Hospital's Pastoral Care Services, along with experienced staff chaplains who are available for consultation.

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Please visit our Florida Hospital Pastoral Care website.

Florida Hospital's CPE program is accredited by the Association for Clinical
Pastoral Education, 1549 Clairmont Road, Suite 103, Decatur, Georgia 30033
404-320-1472

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