By Rev. Paulette A. McPherson, MDiv, DMin(c), BCC | The Practical Chaplain
How to Become a Hospital Chaplain: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
If you feel called to walk alongside patients in their most vulnerable moments, not to preach, but to be present, hospital chaplaincy may be exactly the right path. It is one of the most demanding and most rewarding professions in healthcare. And it has a specific, learnable credential pathway.
Here is the full picture, step by step.
The Pathway
Six steps from calling to career.
01
Estimated time: 4 years (or less with transfer credits)
Earn Your Bachelor's Degree
Hospital chaplains are required to hold a bachelor's degree. The field of study is flexible, many chaplains come from theology, religious studies, psychology, social work, nursing, or education backgrounds. What matters is that your undergraduate education gives you a foundation for graduate theological study.
If you already have a bachelor's degree in any field, you can move directly to the next step. No need to start over.
02
Estimated time: 3 years (full-time)
Earn a Graduate Theological Degree
The standard graduate degree for hospital chaplaincy is the Master of Divinity (MDiv), a three-year professional degree offered by accredited seminaries and theological schools. Some chaplains hold a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, a Master of Arts in Ministry, or a comparable graduate degree, but the MDiv is the most widely accepted and expected by employers and most certification bodies.
Your graduate theological education grounds you in theology, pastoral care, ethics, and the theological traditions relevant to your faith endorsing body.
What to look for in a program
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Accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS)
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A curriculum that includes pastoral care, clinical ethics, and supervised field education
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Opportunities for hospital or institutional chaplaincy fieldwork
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Note: for Jewish chaplains: Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) requires a Master's degree in a recognized field of Jewish study rather than a standard MDiv. Check NAJC requirements when selecting your graduate program.
03
Concurrent with graduate study
Obtain Denominational or Faith Endorsement
Before applying for most chaplain positions or CPE programs, you need an ecclesiastical endorsement, a formal letter from your faith community or denomination affirming that you are in good standing and authorized to serve as a chaplain representative of that tradition.
Every major chaplaincy-employing institution, hospitals, the military, the Bureau of Prisons, requires this endorsement. It is not optional.
The endorsement process varies by denomination and tradition. Contact your denominational headquarters or regional leadership to begin. Most require:
Common requirements
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Ordination or equivalent recognition by your faith community
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A letter of good standing
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A formal endorsement application specific to chaplaincy ministry
04
See program formats below
Complete Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)
This is the step that separates a professional chaplain from a minister who visits patients. CPE is not optional, and it cannot be replaced by pastoral experience alone, no matter how many years you have in ministry.
Clinical Pastoral Education is supervised clinical training in an institutional setting. CPE students provide direct spiritual care to patients, participate in verbatim case reviews, receive individual and group supervision, and develop competencies across clinical, theological, and interpersonal dimensions. It is immersive, challenging, and formative in a way that classroom or online coursework cannot replicate.
One concept every chaplain candidate should understand before entering clinical training is the difference between a spiritual screening and a spiritual assessment, they serve different purposes, are used by different clinicians, and produce different documentation outcomes.
See: Spiritual Screening vs. Spiritual Assessment
An important distinction: A genuine CPE program is structured, supervised clinical training delivered by an accredited provider. It is not a certificate course, a weekend workshop, or an online ministry credential. Courses charging $99 to $350 with a certificate of completion are not CPE; they carry no standing with any hospital, the Joint Commission, or any professional chaplaincy body. The pathway to professional chaplaincy is more demanding than that, and deliberately so.
CPE is offered by multiple accredited providers, not one single body. Here is who they are.
Step 4, continued
CPE accrediting and training bodies.
​CPE is offered by multiple accredited providers. Here is who they are and how they differ.
ACPE, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
ACPE is the largest and most widely recognized CPE accrediting body in the United States. ACPE-accredited programs are found at major academic medical centers, VA hospitals, children's hospitals, hospice organizations, and correctional facilities nationwide. ACPE CPE is accepted by all major professional chaplaincy certification bodies. Programs include internships, residencies (typically one year, paid), and extended/part-time formats. If you are not sure which provider to start with, an ACPE-accredited residency at a clinical medical center is the most broadly recognized pathway.
CPEI, Clinical Pastoral Education International
CPEI is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CPEI offers CPE through an online and hybrid delivery model with a well-developed curriculum, making it a strong option for working clergy, those in rural areas, or those who cannot relocate for a traditional residency. The flexibility of CPEI's format opens the chaplaincy pathway to people who would otherwise face significant barriers to entry. CPEI CPE is accepted by the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), among others.
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Board Certified Associate Chaplain (BCAC): Bachelor's degree + 4 units of CPE (1,600 hours)
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Board Certified Chaplain (BCC): Bachelor's degree + 72-hour graduate theological degree + 4 units of CPE (1,600 hours)
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One practical note: While CPEI CPE is accepted by the major certification bodies, some hospital employers specifically require ACPE-accredited CPE units when hiring. Before committing to a CPEI program, confirm the CPE acceptance policy with the health systems or institutions where you intend to work.
NACC, National Association of Catholic Chaplains
NACC is the professional organization and certification body for Catholic chaplains. NACC has its own accredited CPE program and accepts CPE from ACPE, CPEI, and other approved providers. If you are pursuing Catholic chaplaincy, in a Catholic health system, a Catholic-affiliated hospice, or a general hospital as a Catholic-endorsed chaplain, NACC certification is the primary credential pathway. NACC offers its own Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) credential: a graduate theological degree, four CPE units, and current ecclesial endorsement from a Catholic diocese or religious community.
Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC)
Neshama is the professional organization and certification body for Jewish chaplains. Neshama's certification pathway reflects the distinct requirements of Jewish professional chaplaincy.
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Jewish faith
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Master's degree in a recognized field of Jewish study
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Four units of CPE (Neshama accepts ACPE-accredited CPE)
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2,000 hours of professional chaplaincy work following CPE completion
Neshama awards the Jewish Board-Certified Chaplain credential. For Jewish chaplains working in hospital settings, hospice, or the military, Neshama certification is the recognized professional standard.
CPE Program Formats
Choose the format that fits your life.
ACPE residencies are typically paid positions with stipends and benefits, you earn while you train.
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How many CPE units do you need?
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2 units, minimum for many hospital chaplain positions
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4 units, required for Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) status through APC, NACC, CPEI, and Neshama
05
Estimated time to apply: 3 to 6 months after meeting requirements
Apply for Board Certification
To become a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) through the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and its Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI), candidates must complete four units of approved Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). These units do not all have to be completed through ACPE. BCCI recognizes CPE from several approved providers, allowing candidates to complete their education through more than one organization.
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Approved CPE providers recognized by BCCI
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ACPE (Association for Clinical Pastoral Education)
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CPEI (Clinical Pastoral Education International)
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ICPT (Institute for Clinical Pastoral Training)
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NACC (National Association of Catholic Chaplains)
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CASC (Canadian Association for Spiritual Care)
For example, a candidate may complete two ACPE units and two CPEI units and still meet the CPE requirement for APC/BCCI Board Certification, provided all units are earned through providers recognized by BCCI.
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In addition to the required CPE, applicants for APC/BCCI Board Certification must also have
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A qualifying graduate theological or spiritual care degree (or approved equivalent)
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Current endorsement or authorization from their faith group
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2,000 hours of chaplaincy experience following completion of the required CPE
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Successful demonstration of the APC/BCCI competencies through the certification process
In addition to APC/BCCI, other professional certifying bodies have their own board certification pathways. Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) offers board certification for Jewish chaplains and recognizes CPE as a core component of its certification requirements. The National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) maintains its own certification process for Catholic chaplains. While the requirements of each organization differ, all emphasize rigorous clinical education, supervised practice, theological competence, professional ethics, and demonstrated competency in spiritual care.
This flexibility allows students to pursue high-quality CPE through recognized providers while remaining eligible to seek board certification with the professional organization that best aligns with their faith tradition and vocational goals.
06
Ongoing
Apply for Hospital Chaplain Positions
The standard graduate degree for hospital chaplaincy is the Master of Divinity (MDiv), a three-year professional degree offered by accredited seminaries and theological schools. Some chaplains hold a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, a Master of Arts in Ministry, or a comparable graduate degree, but the MDiv is the most widely accepted and expected by employers and most certification bodies.
Your graduate theological education grounds you in theology, pastoral care, ethics, and the theological traditions relevant to your faith endorsing body.
What to look for in a program
​
-
Accreditation by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS)
-
A curriculum that includes pastoral care, clinical ethics, and supervised field education
-
Opportunities for hospital or institutional chaplaincy fieldwork
​
Note: for Jewish chaplains: Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) requires a Master's degree in a recognized field of Jewish study rather than a standard MDiv. Check NAJC requirements when selecting your graduate program.
03
Concurrent with graduate study
Obtain Denominational or Faith Endorsement
With your degree, CPE units, endorsement, and board certification (or active pursuit), you are ready to apply.
Where to search
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Association of Professional Chaplains job board: professionalchaplains.org
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NACC career resources: nacc.org
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Major health system career portals: Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, Cleveland Clinic, Veterans Health Administration, Catholic health systems
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LinkedIn (search "chaplain" plus "healthcare" or "hospital")
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ACPE job listings
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What hospitals look for
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BCC credential or active pursuit
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CPE completion at a clinical setting
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Documentation skills, the ability to write clinical notes that are actionable for the care team
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Comfort working in interdisciplinary settings with diverse patient populations, including those with no religious affiliation
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Familiarity with advance directives, palliative care, and end-of-life conversations
On clinical documentation: Hospitals are held to Joint Commission standards requiring documented spiritual assessments. If you are trained in a structured assessment framework like the PEACE Spiritual Assessment Model, you will be a stronger candidate and a more effective clinician from day one.
Education and training roles
Many experienced chaplains become ACPE-certified CPE Educators, develop chaplaincy training programs, or move into consulting, supporting hospital systems with chaplaincy program design, documentation standards, and staff training.
Realistic Timeline
From undergraduate entry to board certification.
Key Resources
The organizations and tools referenced in this guide.
06
Spiritual Screening vs. Spiritual Assessment (understanding the difference)
07
PEACE Spiritual Assessment Model (clinical documentation framework)
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about becoming a hospital chaplain.
Most positions require denominational endorsement, which typically requires ordination or equivalent recognition by your faith community. The specific form depends on your tradition. What matters to the employer is that you have a recognized faith standing and a current endorsement letter.
Yes. ACPE is the largest and most widely recognized, but BCCI (which oversees APC board certification) also accepts CPE from CPEI, ICPT, NACC, and CASC. You can even mix providers, two units from ACPE and two from CPEI, for example, and still meet the requirement. Your choice of CPE provider should align with your intended certification body; confirm acceptance policies before enrolling.
They serve different communities and offer different pathways. ACPE is the largest multi-faith CPE accrediting body, primarily on-site clinical programs. CPEI provides accredited CPE through online and hybrid delivery, increasing accessibility. NACC is the Catholic professional chaplaincy body with its own CPE and certification. Neshama is the professional body for Jewish chaplains with its own certification pathway. All operate within the broader framework of professional chaplaincy; they are not competing credentials, they are tradition-specific and format-specific pathways to the same professional standard.
CPE, from any accredited provider including ACPE, CPEI, or NACC, involves structured, supervised clinical training with direct patient contact, case review, and credentialed supervision. An unaccredited online certificate course offering a "chaplain credential" for a few hundred dollars with no supervised clinical component is not CPE. It carries no standing with hospitals, the Joint Commission, or any professional chaplaincy certification body. Employers and credentialing bodies ask for CPE units from recognized providers, not certificates of completion from unaffiliated ministry organizations.
Some positions and certification pathways accept a Master of Arts in Theological Studies or related graduate degree. CPEI's BCC pathway specifies a 72-hour graduate theological degree or equivalent. Neshama requires a Master's in a recognized field of Jewish study. APC/BCCI accepts a qualifying graduate theological or spiritual care degree or approved equivalent. Check specific requirements for your chosen certification body and target employers before selecting a graduate program.
Salary varies by region, system size, and certification level. Staff chaplain roles typically range from $55,000 to $75,000; director-level roles can reach $90,000 and above in larger health systems. VA chaplains are paid on the federal GS scale. Military chaplains receive officer pay and benefits.
Yes, and that is intentional. CPE is designed to surface your theological, emotional, and relational patterns through the clinical work. You will be asked to examine your assumptions, your grief, your discomfort, and your biases as part of becoming a more effective chaplain. It is supervised, supported, and structured, but it is not easy. Most chaplains describe CPE as the hardest and most formative professional experience they have had.
Yes. Healthcare chaplaincy faces ongoing shortages, particularly in rural hospitals, VA facilities, pediatric settings, and behavioral health. The job market for qualified, board-certified chaplains is strong.
The Practical Chaplain is not affiliated with BCCI or APC. All competency descriptions and process information are drawn from publicly available BCCI documentation. Requirements change, always verify current standards at apchaplains.org.