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Advocate Condell Medical Center Clinical Pastoral Education program

Institutional context

Advocate Condell Medical Center as a place of healing is a 281-bed hospital located in Libertyville, Illinois. Advocate Condell is the largest health care provider and only Level I Trauma Center in Lake County, Illinois. As a means to maximize patient privacy and safety, Advocate Condell offers to patients the benefit of all private adult inpatient rooms. Advocate Condell has a dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department, the area’s first accredited Pain Center and a Day Center for Intergenerational Care. The hospital also has a beautiful, spacious chapel and a meditation garden.

West Tower is the newest building on the campus of Advocate Condell Medical Center. The West Tower features the Heart and Vascular Center, wound care treatment and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, several disease management programs including congestive heart failure and pulmonary rehabilitation. Included in the West Tower are patient education and conference rooms, a beautiful, spacious chapel and a meditation garden. The surrounding community offers a variety of opportunities for cultural, educational and rural experiences. Advocate Condell has been ranked as one of the best hospitals in the Chicago Metro Area as reported by U. S. News and World Report for 2012-2013.

Description of pastoral care & education department

The Department of Pastoral Care and Education is integral to the Office of Mission & Spiritual Care at Advocate Condell Medical Center, which is chaired by Rev. Kevin Massey, System Vice President, Mission & Spiritual Care. Other permanent staff include Rev. Kerri Allen, VP of Mission and Spiritual Care, Greater Milwaukee Patient Service Area and Aurora Psychiatric Hospital. The work, learning and services of the department’s staff and students are integral to Advocate Condell’s services and operations. Besides permanent staff, we also have registry chaplains which help secure in-house spiritual services, emotional and/or spiritual support for patients, families and staff 24 hours a day.

Population served

As the only Level I Trauma Center in Lake County, Advocate Condell draws a variety of patients from the immediate area and county as well as neighboring counties. Persons from multiple religious, cultural, socio-economic and national backgrounds come to our facility. Advocate Condell has a strong emphasis on being welcoming and inclusive and developing lifelong relationships with the patients and communities we serve.

Unique educational elements & priorities

Diversity Formation, Diversity Competence and Diversity Reflection is the overall theme for our CPE programs, especially our Residency program. Besides being a diverse staff, we strive to have diverse students, religiously, culturally and otherwise. In any given year and/or program, we typically have one or more foreign born students and/or students representing racial, cultural or ethnic minorities. Our curriculum highlights the importance of being able to serve and relate helpfully with persons of all faiths including persons who say they have no faith. Human care, care for the soul as the person experiences and struggles with existential questions and decisions, is at the heart of our pastoral and spiritual care. We also strive to serve veterans, men and women serving in the armed forces. Our programs are approved by the Illinois State Approving Agency for the enrollment of qualified veterans and/or other eligible persons to receive Montgomery GI Bill® education benefits.  We are located close to Great Lakes Naval Base. We are aware that individuals and groups in the general population still often are under-served, e.g. persons suffering from intellectual and/or physical disabilities. Becoming aware and learning how one may best understand, affirm and serve persons in above situations is part of our CPE curriculum.  Having strong community support is another important element in our department and CPE programs. Various clergy and other professionals gladly provide didactics and/or open their facilities for CPE retreats. 

Programs offered

Advocate Condell offers a 12-month/3-unit Residency Program, a Summer Intensive program, an Extended Part-Time program and Supervisory CPE.

Pertinent information for applicants

Student availability and hospitality is important to us. To inquire about our CPE programs, interested persons may contact Yonason Meadows, CPE Manager Midwest Region at yonason.meadows@aah.org.

Interns or residents offered a place in our program must pay a deposit to hold their place. Students must also comply with our mandated pre-employment physical exam, drug screening, and criminal background check policies before they can begin a program.