Medicine

Pastoral services completes reaccreditation process

The Department of Pastoral Services at Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center successfully completed the reaccreditation process to continue their Clinical Pastoral Education and Chaplain Residency programs. The decision will be ratified at the national level in the fall. The department’s educational programs are accountable to the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Inc. (ACPE), whose standards assure the quality of clinical pastoral education programs nationally.

The Association’s decision to recommend full accreditation is based on the department’s self-study and a site visit conducted in April, during which the ACPE evaluated curricula, student experiences and the balance of education and service to the institution. The Rev. Paul Derrickson, coordinator of pastoral services, supervises the internship program.

“We knew we had a very strong program and it was nice to have that confirmed by colleagues outside of the system,” Derrickson said.

“The accreditation process is a long a detailed one, but it was very satisfying to receive excellent feedback on our program,” said Rev. Angelina Van Hise, residency program supervisor.

Highlights from ACPE’s report include recognition of sound and solid resident curriculum and significant integration of the department and the education programs into the institution. The department was first accredited in 1980 and has educated more than 500 student and resident chaplains.

Last Updated July 14, 2010

Contact