Spiritual Care Services, Concord
The Clinical Pastoral Education Program at John Muir Medical Center, Concord is accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
John Muir Medical Center, Concord, a part of John Muir Health, is located 20 miles east of Berkeley and is near the Concord BART station. John Muir Medical Center, Concord is a community hospital, offering a broad spectrum of medical and surgical specialty services including oncology, cardiology, and Emergency Services.
Near the campus is the Behavioral Health Center, providing child, adolescent, adult and geriatric psychiatry and drug and alcohol recovery services. Typically, there are as many as 150 inpatients and many more outpatients in the care of the chaplains. CPE students are assigned to virtually all areas of the medical center.
Program
We offer a four unit residency program of accredited CPE each year; each unit lasts eleven weeks, and is full-time September through August, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Learning is focused on the personal and professional issues in ministry formation and pastoral assessment skills. Our program's particular strengths include a high level of involvement of local religious leaders and a strong sense of community within the medical center. Students are expected to function as the primary spiritual caregivers in the clinical areas, and to participate in all functions of the Department of Spiritual Care.
There are two levels of CPE offered at John Muir Medical Center, Concord. Level I is for all students who are taking their first unit of CPE. It gives students the opportunity to learn about CPE, make some self-discoveries, take risks in initiating relationships and giving critiques, and identify personal strengths and weaknesses inherent in pastoral functioning. Level II CPE includes developing pastoral reflection, formation, competence, and for some students, pastoral specialization. For further information on CPE, please go to http://www.acpe.edu.
The Community
Patients come to John Muir Medical Center, Concord from nearby cities and outlying areas within Contra Costa County. Long-time residents remember when the hospital was a two-room house surrounded by almond orchards. A diverse array of businesses is located in Concord and its surrounding communities ranging from banking services to oil refineries and petrochemical plants. Social, political, environmental and theological issues are often debated in this community.
Tuition and Stipend
Residents in the year-long program receive a stipend of $33,000 w/ medical insurance reimbursement up to $350 per month and pay no tuition. For students who enroll in single units, there is a tuition cost of $500.00.
Supervisor
Rev. Birte Beuck has served as a chaplain and ACPE Supervisor in various hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area for over fifteen years. Born and raised in Germany, she is an ordained minister with the Metropolitan Community Churches. Birte studied theology at Humboldt Universität in Berlin, Germany, and at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, where she received an M.A. in Pastoral Care and a Master of Divinity. Birte is a certified supervisor with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains. She is also a trained mediator.
ACPE Associate Supervisor
Rev. Lisa Jeffcoat has served in hospital and hospice chaplaincy settings in North Carolina and Georgia, and has been an educator in both Carolinas. Originally from South Carolina, Lisa earned her Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School. She is ordained in the Baptist tradition and endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Lisa is an Associate Supervisor with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education and a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains. She brings particular passions for music that can ground the spirit, creativity that makes life vibrant, and laughter that connects.
Application and Fees
To apply to the CPE program at John Muir, please access an application form at https://www.acpe.edu/ACPE/Resources/Forms.aspx. Alternatively, you may email your completed application to birte.beuck@johnmuirhealth.com. You may also mail your application to: Spiritual Care c/o John Muir Medical Center, Concord, 2540 East St. Concord, CA 94520. There is a $30 application fee, payable to John Muir Health (please mail a check if applying electronically). Applications for the residency program beginning in September are accepted starting in the fall of the previous year.