Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Clinical Pastoral Education program

Institutional context

Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington is a 146-bed medical care facility with more than 500 physicians representing 38 medical specialties. Advocate Good Shepherd provides advanced cardiac services, including diagnostic and interventional catheterizations and open-heart surgery in our Wayne and Patricia Kocourek Family Cardiac Care Center.

Population served

The communities are largely-Euro-American with a growing Spanish-speaking population. It is a state-designated Level II Trauma Center with a designated pediatric treatment area and Illinois state EDAP (Emergency Departments Approved for Pediatrics) designation. Advocate Good Shepherd is a Level II “Plus” birthing center with a special care nursery and neonatologists on site 24 hours a day. It has a nationally accredited cancer program that has been designated as a “Comprehensive, Community Cancer Program” by the American College of Surgeons.

Description of pastoral care department

The Department of Mission and Spiritual Care consists of a PSA Vice President, one ACPE Certified Educator, one Senior Staff Chaplain, several on call chaplains who represent diverse faith groups. The department supports, develops and endorses the Eucharistic ministers, patient welcome volunteers and participants and sponsors community activities.

Unique educational elements

Each year Advocate Good Shepherd offers various internships and a one year, three-unit residency with sister hospitals Sherman and Condell. Class time and clinical work are part of our internships and residency. All students develop an atmosphere of openness and work closely as a team as they respond to requests for a chaplain by staff, patients and families throughout the hospital. Each student meets on bi-weekly basis with the supervisor who evaluates their progress and responds to their individual concerns. (A Summer Intensive unit intermittently runs from the day after Memorial Day until the second week of August.)

Pertinent information for applicants

A $250.00 non-refundable deposit, applicable to tuition, is required to hold a place when the applicant is offered a position.

Students may not begin a program until they have complied with the mandated criminal record background check, drug screen and health clearance, which includes a 2-step TB test and a Respiratory Mask FIT test. The residency requires the prerequisite of one previous unit of CPE.

The residency includes an annual salary as well as health insurance benefits. The tuition is $250.00 per CPE Unit. There is no housing provided.

For more information

Yonason Meadows
CPE Manager Midwest Region
Email: yonason.meadows@aah.org