We are delighted that you’re exploring ACPE chaplaincy training at UCSF!
UCSF Medical Center is accredited by the ACPE (The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education) to offer Level I, Level II, and Certified Educator CPE. More information about CPE can be found here: Frequently Asked Questions (acpe.edu).
- ACPE Level I/Level II Programs
- ACPE Certified Educator Training Programs
- Program Strengths
- Stipend and Financial Info
- Application Process
- Admissions Policy
- Living in the San Francisco Bay Area
ACPE Level I/Level II Programs:
We run active CPE programs at two campuses, Mission Bay and Parnassus Heights: https://www.ucsf.edu/about/locations
There are 5 Residency placements at our Hospitals at Mission Bay with primarily Pediatric, Women’s Services (Mother and Baby), Pediatric Emergency Care and Adult Oncology.
At our Parnassus Heights Campus we have 10 Residency placements in Acute and Intensive Adult Medical Care, and Adult Emergency Care.
Application review for the 2024-2025 CPE residency is open on a rolling basis until all learner positions are filled. CPE Application (acpe.edu)
The 2024-2025 Residency year begins on August 26, 2024, and ends on September 5, 2025.
Submit your ACPE Application or Ask Program Questions: cpe@ucsf.edu
ACPE Certified Educator Training Program:
For Certified Educator CPE training, applicants must have completed at least four (4) ACPE-accredited CPE units that document fulfillment of Level 2 CPE outcomes; hold a M.Div. degree or its equivalent; be ordained or commissioned to function as a clergyperson or spiritual leader by an appropriate authority in one’s faith group; and be endorsed or recognized in an official relationship of accountability with one’s faith group. Persons interested in Clinical Educator CPE must use the appropriate ACPE application form, available at https://acpe.edu/education/cpe-students/cpe-application, and submit that form directly to our center and the ACPE national office. Our Program advertises Certified Educator Student/Certified Educator Candidate openings on ACPE’s national website when we are accepting applications. For inquiries: cpe@ucsf.edu
Program Strengths
Some distinctive features of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and our CPE programs:
- Our CPE trainees learn to offer collaborative care in a fast-paced environment that prepares them for today’s complex spiritual care needs, including exposure to cutting edge medical technology, and ethical and existential concerns.
- The UCSF Division of Palliative Medicine has been named by the American Hospital Association as one of the top three programs nationwide for its innovative efforts in end-of-life care. Year-long CPE residents participate in a curriculum that introduces them to topics related to palliative care and end-of-life issues, and offers them mentoring opportunities on these topics.
- Trauma-informed care and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism principles are integrated into the CPE curriculum.
- CPE learners at UCSF are trained in crisis debriefing and decompression skills, to help people mitigate the stressful effects of traumatic events that they have experienced.
- UCSF is a teaching hospital, and chaplain trainees learn alongside students from the schools of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy, which are all part of the UCSF campus. Year-long residents participate in an Interprofessional Standardized Patient Exercise that supports excellence in collaboration.
- Our entire Spiritual Care staff is invested in and committed to our CPE program, providing ongoing clinical mentoring to our trainees.
- A variety of resources at UCSF support student and staff diversity, such as the LGBTQ Resource Center, the Multicultural Resource Center, and the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Diversity.
- Sustainability and support matters to us! We offer a robust Student Health and Counseling Benefit for our year-long CPE residents, through UCSHIP: https://studenthealth.ucsf.edu/insurance as well as 15 paid personal leave days, in addition to 15 paid UCSF holidays, for our year-long residents.
Tuition and Stipend
The tuition fee for a single unit of CPE (Summer or Extended) is $600.00.
The tuition fee for a year-long residency (4 CPE units) is $1800.00. There is a non-refundable deposit of $250.00 which is payable upon acceptance into the program and applied toward tuition costs. The balance of the tuition cost is due on the first day of the CPE unit or year. The fees which are paid are used solely for the ongoing costs of the CPE program, which includes quarterly and annual accreditation fees.
The current stipend for the year-long residency is $54,075 for a total of 54 weeks (4 CPE units, plus clinical weeks), paid on a weekly basis. No income taxes are withheld from this stipend, so it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that any tax obligations are being met.
In addition, the UCSF CPE program offers a variety of benefits, such as
- a comprehensive health care package, including individual counseling and therapy sessions; Welcome to Student Mental Health and Wellbeing
- access to state-of-the-art fitness and recreation centers, available for a monthly fee at the Staff rate
- a per diem allowance to pay for dinner and breakfast during on-call shifts
- 15 days of personal leave time and 15 UCSF holidays; and
- access to computer lab, library, and on-line educational resources.
Financial Policy
PURPOSE
To provide clear financial information for the Clinical Pastoral Education program at UCSF Health that addresses fees, payment schedule, refunds, stipends and benefits.
POLICY
UCSF Medical Center shall provide potential CPE students with information about the tuition and fee schedule upon request of program information. Tuition and fees may be reviewed and/or changed annually. Registration of credit of the CPE unit and the individual educator’s final evaluation may be withheld pending payment of all fees.
PROCEDURE
Fees are used solely for the ongoing costs of the CPE program, which includes ACPE quarterly and annual accreditation and certification fees.
A. Application Fee: There is no application fee required for CPE programs at UCSF.
B. Deposit: Applicants accepted for training are required to submit a deposit of $250.00 (checks or money orders made payable to UC Regents), within 14 days of their letter of acceptance. The deposit is applied toward the tuition and is non-refundable. The student may coordinate a deposit payment plan with the Director by submitting the plan with payment dates and amounts in writing.
C.Tuition
1. The tuition for a single unit of training in CPE at UCSF Medical Center is $600.00, which includes the deposit of $250. The full tuition is due and payable to the UC Regents on the first day of the unit.
2. The total tuition for a year-long CPE residency at UCSF Medical Center is $1800.00, which includes the deposit (see point B above). The full tuition is due and payable to the UC Regents on the first day of the residency, unless another agreement is made, per #3 below.
3. The student may coordinate a tuition payment plan with the Director and Manager by submitting the plan with payment dates and amounts in writing. The Manager will monitor the installment payments for the program.
4. Certified Educator Students are not assessed a deposit or tuition.
5. No written faculty final evaluation will be given and no credit for the unit will be registered with the ACPE National Office without confirmation of tuition payment in full, unless other arrangements are made with the Manager and Director per #3 above.
D. Stipends and Benefits
1. There is no stipend for Summer or Extended students.
2. Resident students for 2023 – 2024 receive a weekly stipend of $1,041.44 for the duration of the program (a total of one calendar year plus two weeks; 54 weeks). Resident stipends are approved annually with the departmental budget in July each year.
3. Because CPE chaplain interns and residents are not UCSF employees, there is no income tax withholding on stipends paid to them by Winston Staffing. Students are responsible for reporting their earnings and paying appropriate taxes to federal and state governmental entities. Please consult your tax preparer early and often!
4. UCSF Medical Center does not provide medical or other insurance coverage for Summer or Extended students. Those students are responsible for providing their own medical or other insurance coverage.
5. Chaplain Residents are enrolled in a comprehensive health insurance plan through UCSHIP at no charge to themselves beginning the first day of the program. They may enroll dependents for an additional fee. Residents are enrolled for four quarters, ending at 11:59 PM on the last Friday of the program. Full details of the UCSF plan may be obtained at UCSF’s Student Health Services Web site.
6. Certified Educator Students/Candidates for 2023-2024 receive a stipend of $1,538.46 each week.
7. Stipend deposits for Residents and Certified Educator students are made on a schedule determined by Winston Staffing, the vendor selected by UCSF’s Human Resources department to process stipends.
8. If a student who is receiving a stipend should withdraw or be dismissed from the program, the stipend will end on the deposit date of the last week of their service.
E. Unit Registration: Completed CPE units are registered with the ACPE at no additional cost to students.
F. Replacement Costs: Students will be required to pay the replacement cost for materials or equipment they have misplaced or damaged during their tenure as CPE students. If a student damages or misplaces one of these items, the replacement cost schedule is as follows (cash/money order payment only):
UCSF Laptop: $1,500.00
UCSF iPhone: $75.00
UCSF badge: $25.00
FastPay card: $5.00
Metal binder/census: $25.00
Books/educ. resources: At cost [Note: Students may be required to read certain books during their CPE training, and are notified of those books in advance of each unit’s start date. Students are responsible for obtaining copies of those books, either through purchase or borrowing. Most readings will be made available electronically, and a limited lending library is also available on each site.]
F. Refunds
1. Tuition is not refunded if a student withdraws from a CPE unit or internship, or if a student is dismissed from the CPE program.
2. In the event of illness, serious accident, or comparable unforeseen and extenuating circumstances, a refund of tuition on a prorated basis will be considered by the Director and/or Manager of Spiritual Care Services.
Application Process
Application Requirements:
1) Completed ACPE application with essay responses at https://acpe.edu/education/cpe-students/cpe-application
At the top of your ACPE, Inc. application face sheet, you must indicate which campus you are interested in applying for - Mission Bay or Parnassus. If you are interested in both campuses, please include both; however you must indicate a first preference.
2) No application/processing fee is required.
3) Once we receive your application and have reviewed your materials, we will notify you if we are moving forward with a Zoom interview, or not. Interviews are with two Faculty members. For our Residency, there is a second half hour interview with two Department Staff members as well.
4) Completed reference forms. Regardless of the program for which you apply, these will be solicited by the Department from the persons you list as references on your application.
Due Dates: Our CPE programs operate on a rolling admissions basis. We switch to interviewing for Alternates for our programs when group space is filled.
UCSF CPE Admissions Policy
PURPOSE
To provide a clear and effective admission process to any UCSF Medical Center CPE program that does not permit any discrimination against persons because of race, ethnicity, religious/spiritual tradition, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or disability.
POLICY
UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Health, and the Accredited CPE Center do not discriminate against persons because of race, ethnicity, religious/spiritual tradition, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or disability. Equal access to educational opportunities is extended to all qualified persons. All members of the CPE faculty, professional advisory group, and consultants are expected to adhere to this policy.
CPE students at all levels are expected to sustain sufficient physical, emotional and spiritual health to deliver spiritual care. The students we seek will demonstrate an openness to clinical learning; a readiness to use the clinical setting for personal and professional learning; an ability to provide effective spiritual care in our clinical settings; and the potential to make a contribution to the field of spiritual care and ministry.
PROCEDURE
In order to be considered for admission into the CPE program at UCSF Medical Center, the following procedure is followed.
1. Applications are received throughout the year, and ideally should be submitted six to eight months before the unit in which an applicant wishes to enroll. The standard ACPE application form is utilized, and no application fee is required.
2. When the CPE Center receives the application and has determined that the application materials are sufficient for consideration, the applicant will be notified to set up an appointment for an admissions interview.
3. An admissions interview will be held to determine the applicant’s readiness for clinical learning. It is preferred that this interview is done by at least two members of the CPE faculty at a UCSF campus when circumstances permit. For residency applicants, the interview process involves two separate sessions: the first with members of the CPE faculty, and a second with other members of the Spiritual Care Department staff. Department Staff only have access to applicant’s ACPE Cover Sheets and Resumes.
4. At the discretion of the faculty, applicants may be interviewed by means of a UCSF secure Zoom meeting.
5. The applicant must have graduated from high school or earned a GED, hold a baccalaureate degree and present documentation of academic credentials (exceptions to this requirement will be considered on a case-by-case basis), and be in good standing with her/his/their faith affiliation, spiritual association or other ethical/philosophical association.
6. Participating in the CPE program at UCSF Medical Center can be a challenging experience because of the acuity of the illnesses of the patients being served. This ACPE Center seeks mature applicants who demonstrate self-assertiveness, a sense of personal and professional identity, exceptional communication skills, intra- and interpersonal awareness and an inner motivation to learn and serve, as evidenced in the admissions interview.
7. The CPE program and almost all clinical communications at UCSF are conducted in the English language, and therefore it is important that the applicant fluently speaks, reads, and writes in English.
8. When a decision has been made whether or not the applicant has been selected to participate in the CPE program, a letter may be emailed and also will be sent via the U.S. Postal Service. A decision will be made within thirty (30) days after the admission interview.
9. Once an admissions decision has been made and the applicant has been informed, the applicant’s written materials are disposed in the following manner:
a) If the applicant is not accepted to the program, or if an applicant is accepted, but later decides not to enroll in this center’s CPE program, that applicant’s materials will be destroyed in a confidential manner.
b) For policy regarding the records of accepted students, please see below in “Student Records Policy.”
10. It is this Center’s policy not to offer explanations or reasons to an applicant if they have not been admitted to the CPE program.
11. Any applicant who is invited to participate in a UCSF Health CPE program must successfully pass a background check and hold U.S. citizenship or a valid U.S. visa before she/he/they can enroll in the program. All offers of admission are contingent upon successful completion of background checks, health clearances, and all other on-boarding requirements. If an applicant is an international student, it is that student’s responsibility to maintain proof of current lawful immigration status (and authorization to work, if the student is receiving a stipend) in the U.S., throughout the duration of her/his/their program.
12. In the unusual event that the Center cannot recruit at least three (3) students for a training unit, that unit will not begin, and the admitted persons will be invited to enroll in a future scheduled unit of training that matches their level (Level 1 or Level 2). If they need to enroll in a CPE unit immediately, the Center will negotiate with ACPE certified educators at other accredited centers to assist the students in finding appropriate placements.
13. Applications will be accepted for Certified Educator CPE as openings become available. Normally a certified educator student’s contract is extended for successive years, if it is determined that the student has made adequate progress.
14. Certified Educator CPE applicants should refer to the Student Handbook Chapter Five regarding requirements for admission into the program.
Inquiries regarding UCSF Health’s equal opportunity policies may be directed to: UCSF Human Resources at https://hr.ucsf.edu/contact. This policy notwithstanding, all students accepted in the program shall be able, with reasonable accommodation, to physically perform the essential duties contained in the position descriptions for CPE Students and Certified Educator Students, respectively, which can be found in chapters 4 and 5 of the Student Handbook.
Bay Area Housing Possibilities
UCSF On-Campus Housing
Chaplain Residents are eligible for Campus Housing as Allied Health Learners and under Campus Housing Policy, as listed under “Other Eligible Student & Trainee Groups – ‘Resident ministers’”” Housing Eligibility - UCSF Campus Life Services
This link below outlines prices for shared housing on-campus and for efficiencies (and 1-2 bedrooms, which are more expensive). There is NO Deposit for campus housing. Most of the efficiencies can be furnished too, at no cost, which helps if you are just here for the year. There is a FREE shuttle system connecting all UCSF’s campuses on Weekdays. Check out the link below for many options including single efficiencies or shared apartments with your own bedroom. Housing is primarily available near Mission Bay or Mount Zion.
Campus Life Services: New Applicants
Off Campus Housing
Many Chaplain Residents have found off campus Bay Area Housing through the following:
Craigslist online website, Housing tab, for renting a single room or studio apartment. These opportunities only come up the month before or the month of your move, as housing turns so quickly in the Bay Area. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/sfc/hhh
Networking through your spiritual, religious or organizational affiliations (on your own). Sometimes local spiritual communities you are affiliated with have some ideas or resources. Check with your connections.
UCSF Off Campus Website for open housing. This Off-Campus Rental listing service (hosted by UCSF Housing Services), called Places4Students, connects landlords and apartment seekers who are looking for long-term off-campus housing accommodations. Many neighbors to the UCSF Campuses post their rentals here:
(Apartment seekers / sublets / shared living space)
Places4Students.com - Helping Students Find a Home Away from Home
Short-Term Lodging Guide - UCSF Campus Life Services
Off-Campus Housing - UCSF Campus Life Services
UCSF Off-Campus Housing | Facebook
Housing and Commuting | Graduate Division (ucsf.edu)
The Academe at 198 | World-Class Student Housing in SF (academe198sf.com)
Bay Area Public and UCSF Transportation
There is no free parking at UCSF Health for anyone except some patients/families via Social Work. Daily parking is $26. Please note that as a CPE learner you are not an enrolled student with the University, so you do not qualify for the Student Parking rate. You also are not an Employee receiving a check directly from UCSF, so you are not eligible for pre-tax deduction. You are Allied Health Learners with UCSF Medical Center and the ACPE Program – receiving 1099 student stipend weekly and full UCSHIP healthcare during your enrollment in the program.
Additional Transportation Resources:
Plan Your Shuttle Trip - UCSF Campus Life Services
Park with Us - UCSF Campus Life Services
bart.gov | Bay Area Rapid Transit | Bay Area Rapid Transit
AC Transit Bus Routes - SF Bay Transit
Bicycle Transit Resources: