CPE students reflect on their experiences with the CPE program in their own words.

Dynna's Story
I knew about the ministry of chaplaincy through a documentary on The Learning Channel. They chose a chaplain in the U.S. and videotaped his work at the hospital. The main unit for this chaplain was oncology and the documentary included interviews from patients who expressed their gratitude for this ministry. I was in my early 20’s when I watched this documentary and it impacted me; in my heart I wished I could do something like that. During my first year of seminary ,I took the class on introduction to pastoral care which required clinical hours visiting patients at the hospital. My desire to become a chaplain was intense after this first glance. During my last year of seminary, I took the first unit of CPE and God opened the door for me to start the first year of residency at University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview two months after graduation. Read Dynna's story.

Julia's Story
I stand here with a profound sense of gratitude: For the supervisors and clinical coordinators who have challenged us to come to terms with (among many other things) the limitations of our role, our fear of dying, our residual grief from past hurts, and our broken but well meaning families. They bless us with the gift of time and critique. I remember after a lengthy defense of many of my personal flaws a CPE supervisor said to me, “you know rarely if ever in life will people take the time or care enough to challenge you like this.” Even as I shuttered at the mirror placed in front of me, I knew she was
right. In what other venue are we encouraged to share our weakness, pain, doubt and fear—knowing it will be heard without judgment? Our supervisors, clinical coordinators, and fellow students care enough about the person we are becoming and the ministry we are joining to challenge us. They know that if we embark on the sometimes painful, often joyous work of integrating our personal growth and pastoral care, we will emerge with
greater humility and provide more compassionate care for the patients, families and clients we serve. Read Julia's story.

Ben's Story
Some people think of listening as an easy task, that requires simply the absence of speech.  In fact, listening is much harder than speaking and it requires all of my faculties to do it right.  Listening demands so much and it sometimes seemed like I was giving so little.  How can I be giving them something if all that I’m doing is receiving their words?  I learned that listening, though overwhelming at times, brought great rewards.  And I learned that in my receiving their words attentively, God was giving the residents something of great worth. Read Ben's story.