Why a new continuing education (CE) program?
As professional chaplains, we each are in the best position to determine what is needed each year for continuing education and/or professional development in order to meet either our own personal needs or the needs of our facility, or to address items that may have arisen in annual performance evaluations. The new CE plan offers that flexibility for a reflective and intentional plan for professional development.
The old continuing chaplaincy education (CCE) program required 10 of the 50 CE hours to be pre-reviewed. It was discontinued because each chaplain has a unique situation and unique opportunities for continuing education and professional development within the workplace. The geographic location of the member also plays a part in the opportunities available and/or necessary for the professional growth and development of the member.
The APC Education Committee developed this new CE program to be more user friendly, respective of the differing needs and locations of APC chaplains across the country, and reflective of the common standards used in certification. [Back to Top]
What are interdisciplinary care rounds, and why may they NOT be counted as CE?
Interdisciplinary rounds are daily or weekly meetings for discussion of a patient's plan of care and discharge needs. They are considered a regular, routine part of a chaplain's job description; therefore, they may not be counted towards continuing education.
A number of people have expressed surprise at this exclusion, on the premise that they "learn a lot" from these meetings. Certainly, there is no argument that our daily work with patients and staff provides us with many learning opportunities. Perhaps the most important principle we learned in clinical pastoral education (CPE) is that every one of us – patient, staff member and chaplain – is a "living human document" with educational potential. An ancient teaching of the Talmud posits that "a wise person learns from all people," basing the principle on the prooftext Psalms 119:99, "From all who have taught me, I have been enlightened."
Nonetheless, the intent of a professional continuing education program is to reach beyond these daily encounters to pursue more formal, structured learning experiences.[Back to Top]
Why 50 hours annually? Isn’t that more than the other disciplines (social work, dieticians, RNs, counselors) that I work with?
APC, as a member of the Spiritual Care Collaborative along with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education (CAPPE/ACPEP), National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) and National Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC), approved a set of common standards for professional chaplains. Within those standards is a requirement of 50 hours of continuing education and/or professional development to maintain certification as a professional chaplain.
The Spiritual Care Collaborative set the standard of 50 hours based on the intention that the common standards should be treated as the basis for professional functioning of a chaplain. The number of hours and reportability for other disciplines, such as nursing, social work, dieticians or counselors, are developed in accordance with the overall scope of the standards for their respective discipline.
The Common Standards for Professional Chaplaincy can be found on the APC Web site under Professional Resources, Reading Room. The standard for continuing education can be found in Section IV: Professional under MNT2: Document fifty (50) hours of annual continuing education. (Recommend that personal therapy, spiritual direction, supervision, and/or peer review be acceptable options for continuing education hours.) [Back to Top]
The current requirement is to submit an annual continuing education report by the end of January of the year following receipt of your certificate for the previous year. For example: [Back to Top]
It seems like I must find my own continuing education under this new CE program. Who determines what is educational to me?
You determine for yourself what is educational within the guidelines of this program. Feedback on the previous program indicated that members want to determine what is professionally educational for them. Many members stated they do not want to be required to take pre-reviewed continuing education. Members in certain geographic areas find traveling long distances to obtain their approved courses too costly from a financial and work perspective. Other members reported frustration at diminishing dollars for education, the need to take personal time off from work, the complexity of participating in “reviewed” educational courses, service to APC that was educational was not considered, etc.
In designing the new CE program, the Education Committee took these concerns and more into consideration. Members can now determine for themselves what areas of their work are in need of continuing education and the best way to obtain it. It is hoped that members will utilize vocational challenges, feedback in annual reviews and/or peer reviews to develop an overall plan for continuing education each year. It is also hoped that the majority of this education can be obtained “close to home” and at a relatively low cost.
The new CE program, then, presents only the foundational structure and boundaries of what can be considered for continuing education:
- All continuing education hours counted MUST BE in the field of professional chaplaincy development of the board certified, provisional certified or associate chaplain, and to further advance professional practice or skills.
The program uses the four areas of the common standards as the structure for continuing education. These common standards, which have been adopted by APC and its cognate organizations, are the basis for board certification. In maintaining our membership and advancing clinically as chaplains, we must use the same standards and common language to provide continuity across APC.
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How do I decide which area of the common standards I will use?
The flexibility to make this decision is given to you. As addressed in the previous question, you can decide what will assist you most in your professional development. [Back to Top]
Can you reject anything I include in my continuing education report?
No and yes. The program leaves it up to the member to utilize continuing education that is meaningful to him or her. It offers the member great latitude and creativity in selecting what is needed. However, all CE reported must be “educational” in nature (as noted above), must relate to the function of advancing professional chaplaincy skill, and be accountable under the standards and methodologies outlined. To ensure this happens, APC oversees the continuing education hours submitted. There will be random audits of CE reports to verify that the continuing education hours reported have a direct correlation to one’s professional development as a chaplain.
Some things that have counted in previous years may no longer fit within the continuing education guidelines. Examples of things now excluded are: daily or weekly inter-disciplinary patient care rounds in which patients are discussed regarding their care plans and discharge; supervision of CPE students or employees; and teaching a Bible study or other type of religious study.
Examples of things now included are: case conferences where an educational presentation is made and peer-reviewed literature is shared or utilized; hospital-wide multi-disciplinary grand rounds; and professional chaplaincy didactics to students or staff. [Back to Top]
What are grand rounds, and why ARE they counted as CE?
In CPE lingo, grand rounds are closest to what we came to know as "didactics." Grand rounds are part of a medical model of continuing education, which require the presence of a teacher or expert in the subject matter. This is a formal presentation, which may or may not involve a discussion of specific patients.
For example, a "lunch and learn" program in which a clinical ethicist delivers a talk outlining the ethical issues involved in a group of his cases would qualify as grand rounds. A discussion of these same issues by the staff at interdisciplinary rounds, at which no expert is present, might be very informative and lead to a formal ethics consult, but would not qualify for CE credit. [Back to Top]
Why are my hours limited for spiritual direction, retreats, personal therapy, professional development supervision and service to APC?
These hours are limited in order to allow room in the base of 50 continuing education hours for a broad range of continuing education.
Spiritual direction, retreats, personal therapy, professional development supervision and service to APC are an important part of the professional and personal development of a chaplain. We encourage all chaplains to engage in these disciplines as much as needed and is helpful. Members are welcome to list all of their time in these disciplines. However, only the allotted number of hours can count toward the required 50 hours of CE. [Back to Top]
Does any type of reason for therapy count toward CE hours?
No. The therapy must fit into the CE program structure. This is largely up to the integrity of the chaplain. Therapy hours recorded need to be defensibly chaplaincy-related. For example, if in response to a peer review, you are encouraged to seek some counseling concerning an issue that is getting in the way of your work as a chaplain, then this would “count.” If you and your partner are experiencing a rough patch and go to a couple’s weekend counseling seminar, then no, that therapy time would not “count.” [Back to Top]
I can use up to 10 hours per year of my service time to APC. What does this mean?
This means that if you are on an APC committee, commission, council or state leadership team; volunteer at the APC annual conference; or serve on the board of directors, you can use up to 10 hours of your actual volunteer time to APC toward your 50 total CE hours. For example, if you are a state membership chair and spend approximately 10 hours a month (120 for the year) for these duties, you can use 10 of the hours on your annual continuing education report. If you served on a certification committee, you can use the preparation time and actual committee meeting time, up to 10 hours. If you served on a maintenance of membership peer review committee, you can use 1.5 hours per committee. [Back to Top]
If I am an associate chaplain or provisional certified chaplain, are the numbers of hours I count different than the hours for a board certified chaplain?
Yes, an associate chaplain is required to accumulate at least 30 hours of continuing education per calendar year through participation in a broad range of educational experiences. The same CE guidelines apply.
No, a provisional certified chaplain is required to accumulate at least 50 hours of continuing education per calendar year through participation in a broad range of educational experiences. The same CE guidelines apply. [Back to Top]
Can I still print the summary worksheet and send it in as I have always done?
Yes. [Back to Top]
How does the electronic summary worksheet work?
Download the worksheet and save it to your computer. You may document continuing education hours throughout the year. The Excel worksheet totals your hours as you document them. Two pages for documenting the hours have been provided. Some members may not need the second page, but if two pages are used, the grand total of hours appears on page two. There are not two separate forms (summary and detailed report) as in the past. It is all just one report. (A PDF version of the worksheet is also available for printing out and filling in by hand.) If you need assistance with using the worksheet, please contact the APC office. [Back to Top]
Should I send in my form once I reach 50 hours?
You may send it in once you reach 50 hours but it is recommended to keep the form all year, documenting all continuing education, so it can be used to review with your administrator and to make decisions about continuing education for the following year. The completed form can you either mailed, faxed or e-mailed to the national office. [Back to Top]
Who should I call if I have questions or need support in this new process?
You should contact your state CE chair. This member’s name and contact information can be found on the APC Web site under Local Leadership. Choose your state and a list of state leaders will come up. If your state does not have a state CE chair, contact the state rep.
State reps or state CE chairs that have questions should contact Chaplain Brian P. Hughes, Chair, Education Committee by e-mail brian.p.hughes@gmail.com or contact the APC office. [Back to Top]