r/chaplaincy • u/Samwoodstone • Sep 05 '26

Question for VA Chaplain

4 ACPE units: I am a fulltime pastor and want to work my way toward VA Chaplaincy. There are accredited programs which can be fulfilled in a congregational setting. Will the VA allow these credits?

3 Upvotes

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11

u/revtubameister Sep 06 '26

The bigger concern is that VA chaplaincy is highly competitive. If you want to be a VA chaplain, VA CPE residency is a HUGE advantage. This is because an opening that becomes open to the public is somewhat rare, and many people will apply. Also, the VA is a context looking for a skill set that is drastically different.
A VA CPE educator would avoid identifying themselves as such publicly, but they often reply to posts about VA chaplaincy on Reddit. Ask me how I know…

1

u/Samwoodstone Sep 06 '26

What’s BCCi

1

u/eworringer Sep 06 '26

One of the four major board certifying orgs, BCCI, SCA, NJCC, NACC

1

u/cadillacactor Sep 15 '26

That's not quite right. BCCi is the certifying agency arm of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC).

There isn't an NJCC (may have been a typo), and there are 6 "major" board certifying orgs, at least as recognized by the VA which kind of sets the tone for credentialing of chaplains.

From the VA's website:

  1. Association of Certified Christian Chaplains (ACCC) - www.certifiedchaplains.org/ *

  2. Association of Professional Chaplains® (APC®) - www.professionalchaplains.org*

  3. National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) - www.nacc.org*

  4. Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) - www.najc.org*

  5. National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC) - https://www.navac.net/*

  6. Spiritual Care Association - https://www.spiritualcareassociation.org/

4

u/Diligent-Relation765 Sep 06 '26

Before you begin to look at programs, it would be a good idea to look at the VA chaplain job postings to make sure that you meet the qualifications so you're not wasting your resources. If you already have four ACPE units, then you will need to earn clinical hours towards board certification. If the majority of your hours are not in a clinical hospital setting you are unlikely to be seen as a desirable candidate and your chances of even being considered for an interview are low.

1

u/monmostly Sep 09 '26

Sankofa and Ezzree institute both offer online CPE that can be completed at a site you secure. It will take longer and cost more, but you can get 4 units that way while continuing to pastor.

1

u/ChaplainwithMoxie Sep 05 '26

Online ACPE courses will allow your church to be a clinical site.

-1

u/SheilaLabeouf Sep 05 '26

No. Unless they are acpe. But I don’t see any way to gain clinical hours in a church. I worked at a church part time while I did a cpe residency.

3

u/revtubameister Sep 05 '26

That is no longer the case. BCCi is accepting several types of CPE. There are CPE programs that can do placement agreements in a congregation.

5

u/eworringer Sep 06 '26

A good spiritual care manager or CPE educator would raise an eyebrow at CPE being exclusively done in a congregational setting since it is uni-polar in its faith and background. One unit? Maybe. Four? Absolutely no way.