Our CPE Supervisor-in-Training: 

Chaplain Randy Miota, Manger of Chaplaincy Services, Spectrum Health Lakeland is certified Supervisor-in-Training through the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP). Chaplain Miota is ordained through the Southern Baptist Convention and is endorsed by the North American Mission Board. He has served at Spectrum Health Lakeland since 2005, and previously served at CGH Medical Center, Sterling, Illinois, and Wesley Long Community Hospital, Greensboro, North Carolina. Chaplain Miota holds Board Certified Chaplain status with the Association of Professional Chaplains. He is Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying and Bereavement through the Association for Death Education and Counseling; an Approved Instructor for group and individual crisis intervention instruction through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation; an approved instructor for the safeTALK Suicide Awareness course through Livingworks, Inc., a facilitator trainer for the BeFriender Ministry curriculum, and is an approved user and instructor for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I find out more about chaplain jobs?

A good place to start is the “Job Opportunities” section of Association of Professional Chaplains website Association of Professional Chaplains website. Healthcare system, hospital, and hospice websites may also post career opportunities.

What do I need to apply for a chaplain job?

Each employer decides the qualifications that their chaplains need. For healthcare chaplains, the general qualifications are: a masters degree in a theology or pastoral care area; ordination or licensure by a recognized denomination or faith community; endorsement by the denomination to minister outside of the denomination; four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE); and board certification or board certification-eligibility through the Association of Professional Chaplains, National Association of Catholic Chaplains, National Association of Jewish Chaplains.

All this seems pretty complicated for a chaplain job. How do I find out more?

You might start with contacting your denominational endorser for chaplaincy and/or specialized ministry. Your clergy person or the denominational official to whom you report may be able to identify your denominational endorser. You can also contact Chaplain Randy Miota, Manager of Chaplaincy Services, Spectrum Health Lakeland at 269.983.8454 or randolph.miota@spectrumhealth.org to start out your inquiries.

How much does a unit of CPE cost? A half-CPE unit?

Each CPE center establishes their own costs. For the half-CPE unit at Spectrum Health Lakeland, which is aimed at community clergy and lay leaders, the application fee is $20.00. If the applicant is accepted in the CPE half-unit, the $20.00 is included in the $110.00 tuition. Scholarships may be available as well as plans to pay over the course of the CPE half-unit.

How much time will this CPE half-unit take?

Our CPE half-unit takes 200 hours over 15 weeks, or about 13.3 hours per week:

10 hours per week in personal, face-to-face ministry in an assigned setting (150 hours)

3 hours per week in group supervision (45 hours)

1 hour in individual supervision every three weeks (5 hours)

CPE trainees should not plan important events around these CPE obligations. Any absences should be worked out in advance with the CPE Supervisor-in-Training.

Is there a difference between CPE taken from the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) and the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP)?

For future planning, especially for job or career pathways, please contact Chaplain Randy Miota to discuss the distinctions between and among CPE providers and accrediting agencies.

This is an unpaid internship. Are there paid health care chaplain internships available?

The CPE half-unit is an unpaid internship. Other healthcare systems may have year-long paid health care chaplain paid internships. However, these paid internships favor candidates who have completed the equivalent of one unpaid unit of CPE.