St. Luke’s Clinical Pastoral Education Center is a program of the Department of Spiritual Care Services at St. Luke’s Medical Center, and is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.  The Diocese of Idaho of the Episcopal Church founded St. Luke’s Hospital in 1902.  The hospital evolved into a community health institution serving a six-state geographic area and is known as St. Luke’s Medical Center.

The medical complex includes a 733-bed acute care hospital and associated clinics, which are organized into five “Centers” of medical excellence:

• St. Luke’s Heart Institute with specialized care in cardio-vascular diagnostic and treatment services.

• St. Luke’s Medical/Surgical Services with general medical and surgical services, emergency medicine, and home care services.
• St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute with a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient cancer services including radiation and medical treatment, patient and family support, bone marrow transplant, hospice and research programs.
• St. Luke’s Women’s Services including pregnancy, labor and delivery, birth and parenting, gynecology and women’s & children’s community education.
• St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, Idaho’s only children’s hospital with inpatient and intensive care services (NICU, PICU) for children and newborns, and CARES, a program for high-risk children.

St. Luke’s provides a model program of quality care for all persons regardless of ability to pay.  Our nursing staff practices coordinated patient care and the needs of patients and family are always the primary focus of concern.  We are committed to a philosophy of maintaining quality through efficient management.  We are led by a strong Board of Directors, drawn from the community and administrative staff, who are dedicated, highly qualified persons effectively leading us into the 21st century with all its many challenges to medical and nursing professions.

The tradition of religious and spiritual values at St. Luke’s was strengthened in 1973 when the Department of Spiritual Care Services, which included a Clinical Pastoral Education program, was established at St. Luke’s.  Students from many denominations, consisting of laypersons, seminarians and clergy, have participated in CPE at the St. Luke’s CPE Center.

Staff chaplains of the Department of Spiritual Care Services enhance the ecumenism of our Center and are available to the CPE program.   Rev. Kent Schaufelberger, Lutheran minister with more than 30 years of experience in parish ministry and hospital chaplaincy, is the Manager of the Department of Spiritual Care Services and is a certified ACPE Supervisor.

Staff chaplains are important resource persons for students and they function as clinical partners in the CPE training process by providing mentorship on their assigned units and seminars in their fields of specialty.  They are available to students for immediate feedback regarding clinical questions and problems, acting as resource people for students interested in developing particular clinical sub-specialties.  They also deal with students’ immediate concerns brought to the forefront by their clinical experiences and help students to integrate theoretical and practical aspects of ministry.

A. Summer Unit: An intensive full time unit of Level I CPE  (See Summer CPE Program Description)

B. Extended Unit: Units of Level I & Level II CPE offered each year from October to May (See Extended Unit Program Description)

C. Residency Program: A four-unit program of Level I & Level II CPE beginning in June of each year.  (See Residency Program Description)

D. Supervisory CPE: St. Luke’s is an accredited Supervisory CPE Center.  If interested, call for a description of the Supervisory CPE Program.

*A Program description should be appended to this Center description to describe the particular program of CPE for which the applicant is applying.

A. St. Luke’s CPE Advisory Council of health professionals and community clergy supports the program of St. Luke’s CPE Center.

B. In addition to the ACPE supervisor and staff of the Department of Spiritual Care Services, professional persons from throughout the medical complex and the community contribute directly to the teaching program.

Rev. Vernon McNear, ACPE Supervisory Candidate
St. Luke’s CPE Center
190 East Bannock Street
Boise, ID  83702
Phone: (208) 381-2100
Email: mcnearv@slrmc.org

Credited Program by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
1549 Clairmont Road, Suite 103, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4635, Telephone (404) 320-1472

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