Residency
The Residency Year at WakeMed builds upon the educational prerequisites of a master’s degree and successful completion of an initial unit of CPE.
WakeMed Spiritual Care offers four first year positions and two second year positions.
The year is divided into three CPE units, providing opportunities for the student to increase understanding and the practice of ministry for patients, families and staff within the context of a major medical center.
Unit Themes
The themes of the three units typically are:
Unit 1 - Theology
This unit focuses on the study of human development and human nature from a theological perspective. Students look at theological themes that have been a major part of the history of religious traditions. This enables them to understand how their own theological perspectives inform the practice of ministry provided to patients, families, and staff.
Unit 2 – Psychology
The focus of the 2nd unit is the psychological understanding of persons from a developmental perspective. Students will be introduced to theories of human development in order to better understand individuals, self, and systems in the provision of spiritual care.
Unit 3 – Leadership
The last unit focuses on leadership in ministry. Emphases on styles of leadership, authenticity, conflict resolution, ministry management, developing community, and self-care enable the leader to function more effectively in a variety of ministry contexts.
Meetings Include
- Case Conference Seminars
- Interpersonal and Professional Relationship Group (IPR)
- Didactic Seminars
- Clinical Focus
- Individual Supervision
- Theological Reflection Seminar
- Resident Presentations
- Assisting with Intern Orientation/Mentoring
Required Written Work
- Learning Contract
- Verbatim Reports/Critical Incident Reports
- Weekly Reflection Papers
- Unit Project/Presentation
- Weekly Visitation Logs
- Reading to Support Learning Contract & as assigned
- Staff and Patient Evaluations
- Final Evaluations
Residency
ADMISSIONS CRITERIA — PREREQUISITES FOR CHAPLAIN RESIDENTS
- A master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university
- The successful completion of at least one unit of ACPE accredited CPE
- Ordination or authorization to function in ministry by one’s faith community
- Completed application
- ACPE Admissions Interview with CPE supervisory staff
- Dates: August 2026 – August 2027
- Positions Available: 4 (first year); 2 (second year)
- Tuition: $300.00 per unit (3 CPE units for the year)
- Stipend: 1st year: $42,500 / 2nd year: $44,616
- Benefits: Medical Insurance, Life Insurance, free parking, 26 paid days off, on-call meal tickets, and pharmacy discounts
- Schedule: Monday – Friday work schedule, 8:00am – 4:30pm, plus on-call rotations. No on-call shifts on Saturdays/Sundays.
UNIT REQUIREMENTS:
- 20 hours weekly on clinical areas
- On-call rotations, usually 4 – 6 12-hour shifts per month (will receive flex time)
- Completion of Educational Requirements
Additional Information
- Tuition of $300 per unit is payable to WakeMed Department of Spiritual Care. A limited number of tuition scholarships are available.
- Applications are reviewed as they are received with some consideration given to group composition. Interested students are encouraged to apply early. There is no application fee.
- The Residency program consists of three units of CPE over the one-year period.
CPE Application: Download Application
Completed applications may be submitted via email to lhadding@wakemed.org or mailed via postal service:
WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Department of Spiritual Care
3000 New Bern Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27610
Questions may be answered by calling 919-350-8556 or by email to Luwannah Hadding – lhadding@wakemed.org.