Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is an experiential learning program that teaches spiritual care. Working under the supervision of an ACPE Certified Educator, students engage in educational seminars and provide spiritual care to patients. Students explore their clinical work with their Certified Educator and training cohort to deepen their clinical skills and their reflective practice. Mount Sinai’s CPE program is accredited for Level 1, Level 2, and Supervisory CPE by the ACPE: The Standard in Spiritual Care and Education. Our curriculum focuses on:

• Relational Flexibility
• Narrative Reflexivity
• Spiritual Assessment and Outcome-Oriented Chaplaincy
• Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppression, and Structurally-Effective Care
• Ethical Practice
• Research Fundamentals
• Leadership, Team Work and Boundaries
• Reflective Practice and Self-Care

For more information about CPE, please visit the ACPE’s FAQ page.

Each year, we run three CPE programs: a year-long residency, an 11-week summer program, and an extended unit that runs from the fall to the spring.

If you have questions or would like more information about any of our programs, please email CPEapplication@mountsinai.org.

CPE Residency

Mount Sinai offers a year-long CPE residency that includes three units of CPE. Applicants must have one to two prior units of CPE.

Dates:
The 2023-24 CPE residency begins on July 10, 2023 and ends on July 12, 2024. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of December 9, 2022.

Locations:
CPE residents serve at one of five Mount Sinai locations including:
Mount Sinai Beth Israel
Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Morningside
Mount Sinai West
New York Eye & Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai

Salary:
$45,000 plus benefits.

Summer 2023 CPE

Mount Sinai offers an eleven-week intensive summer program, through which students earn one unit of CPE. Students conduct their clinical work at Mount Sinai hospitals. The program requires a full-time commitment Monday through Friday. There are no overnight or weekend on-call responsibilities as part of the program.

Dates: In summer 2023, the program will begin on Monday, May 22 and conclude on Friday, August 4.

We are no longer accepting applications for our Summer 2023 program.

Extended Unit 2023-24

Mount Sinai offers a 25-week extended program, through which students earn one unit of CPE. Students conduct their clinical work at Mount Sinai hospitals. The program requires five hours per week of class time and 15 hours per week of clinical time. The program will run from October 9, 2023 to March 22, 2024.

We are currently accepting applications for the 2023-24 Extended Unit.

How to Apply to Mount Sinai’s CPE Programs

To apply:

1. Complete our online application form.
2. Ask three people to serve as references for you and send them our online reference form. Your references will complete this form. You should identify one reference from each of the following three categories:
   • Academic or educational
   • Faith group, denomination, or spiritual community
   • Personal

Tuition and Deposits

1. Upon acceptance, a non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot in the program.
2. Tuition is due at the beginning of the CPE program.
3. Payments may be made by credit card.

CPE Certified Educators

Rabbi Jo Hirschmann, BCC, ACPE, FACHE
ACPE Certified Educator
Director of Clinical Pastoral Education
Assistant Professor of Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine
Jo.Hirschmann@mountsinai.org

Jo Hirschmann is a board-certified chaplain and an ACPE Certified Educator. She serves as the Director of Clinical Pastoral Education for the Center for Spirituality and Health, is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Jo has adapted CPE’s learning model for healthcare managers and directors and, in partnership with Mount Sinai’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion, co-created a series of training videos on best practices in the spiritual care of transgender patients. She is a co-author of Maps and Meaning: Levitical Models for Contemporary Care, and she teaches and writes about chaplaincy practice and pastoral education.

Rabbi Rachel Van Thyn, BCC, ACPE
ACPE Certified Educator
Rachel.VanThyn@mountsinai.org

Rabbi Rachel Van Thyn is a board-certified chaplain and an ACPE Certified Educator.  After working in the Jewish community in social justice-oriented positions and in the Jewish camping world, she discerned a call to the rabbinate.  She was ordained through Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City and served as Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck on Long Island, NY before returning to chaplaincy. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Rachel facilitated CPE units online, where students learned to provide spiritual care in the midst of a global crisis. Rachel has worked as a chaplain in a variety of medical settings including cardiology, pre/post-operative areas, and palliative care. She currently serves on the ACPE Advocacy Committee, which engages with issues of justice within the fields of chaplaincy and education.

Accreditation

Mount Sinai’s CPE program is accredited for Level I, II and Certified Educator CPE by:
The ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care and Education
120 West Trinity Place, Floor 4, Decatur, GA 30030
www.acpe.edu
404-320-1472