Who We Are
In 1984, St. Mark's Hospital and Episcopal Community Services (ECS) created the only ACPE CPETM program in the Intermountain West.  

ECS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Utah.  St. Mark's Hospital was founded and operated by the Episcopal Church until its transfer to HCA in the late 1980's.  As the flagship hospital within the MountainStar Division of HCA, St. Mark's continues its support of the spiritual care services and nationally accredited clinical pastoral education program. 

In addition to St. Mark's Hospital, ECS has signed Clinical Placement Agreements with other hospitals to provide students with expanded clinical hour experience.  These locations currently include: Lakeview Hospital; Ogden Regional Medical Center; University of Utah Hospital; Huntsman Cancer Institute; Logan Regional Hospital; and Primary Children's Medical Center.
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ACPE is the only agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) to accredit programs of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in the United States. ACPE currently accredits over 300 CPE programs offered in hospitals, prisons, churches, seminaries, community based organizations, and other settings across the United States. St. Mark's Hospital in Utah is one of these settings.

Accreditation is a primary means of quality assurance in the field of CPE. Having originated in institutions of higher education in North America, accreditation is a voluntary activity in which institutions agree on standards of institutional and educational quality and hold themselves, as well as other institutions, accountable to those standards. Accreditation offers an opportunity to institutions to demonstrate that they are committed to maintain a high level of quality in their programs and that their programs are performing at the level required by the field. Continued accreditation by ACPE provides lasting benefits to students, the institution, faculty members and employees, the profession and the larger community.

Through Its Accreditation Process, ACPE Seeks to:
  • assure quality and promote excellence in CPE programs;
  • promote the involvement of faculty and staff in self-assessment of the center and engagement in continuous quality improvement processes;
  • assure students of consistency in educational programs;
  • promote fairness in conduct and evaluation of educational programs;
  • integrate unique clinical/educational resources based on clearly identified learning objectives;
  • ensure that the students gain the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill the roles of spiritual care as clergy and lay leaders as well as to develop professional skills for chaplaincy. 

In addition, ACPE programs prepare students for board certification as well as to continue on in a Supervisory Education program, which can lead to ACPE Educator Certification.

Benefits of Accreditation with ACPE:
  • The Accreditation process provides an impetus towards continuous improvement—the reflective institutional self-study provides a starting point for ACPE accredited Centers to review their practice, evaluate their programs and receive feedback from professional peers, and the annual, five and ten year reviews ensure ongoing compliance with ACPE standards.
  • The Accreditation process gives an ACPE accredited Center greater recognition in the larger community. By completing the ACPE process, each ACPE accredited Center joins the ranks of institutions who have met the professional standards of ACPE and continue to excel in their missions.
  • The Accreditation process is an external, objective assessment of a ACPE accredited Center’s programs that gives assurance to the community about the quality of the program being offered.
  • The Accreditation process offers guidance in developing and sustaining institutional functions.
  • The Accreditation process helps ACPE accredited Centers to justify staffing and programmatic needs.
  • Because ACPE Accreditation is recognized by the USDE, programs are eligible to apply for Medicare Passthrough and Government Funding.
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