We have worked to formalize this process and answer any questions about Continuing Education that you may have. Please read our full policy below.
PLEASE NOTE, YOU MUST COMPLETE THE FORM AND SUBMIT YOUR CEUs EACH YEAR. IT IS PREFERRED THAT YOU MAKE YOUR SUBMISSION FOLLOWING EACH ACTIVITY. We will be implementing a system of recommendation whereby your peers can see what courses you have seen as valuable to your ministry so that they can also participate.
INTRODUCTION
As a professional certification body, the Association of Certified Christian Chaplains (ACCC) requires that individuals maintaining certification complete 50 hours (5 CEUs) of continuing education per year. Continuing education assists our members in advancing their professional practice, exposing members to current research in the field of Spiritual Care, and, on the whole, enhances the profession as a whole and the individual environments where our members practice clinically. In order to provide easy to reference guidance on acceptable forms of Continuing Education, we have prepared the following information for your use in determining if an activity is viable for consideration as Continuing Education.
NOTE: When reporting Continuing Education, please round up or down to the nearest quarter hour.
ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION
Unless the ACCC certified chaplain attends the ACCC National Conference, they must complete education in three of the areas specified below.
1) ACCC National Conference
Attendance at the annual ACCC National Conference provides a wide array of topics for learning, and (per longstanding ACCC policy) fulfils all annual education requirements.
2) Direct Educational Events or Courses
Attendance at various workshops, conferences, Grand Rounds, webinars, etc., and participation in defined academic courses are applicable towards continuing education hours. Any such programming must meet one or more of the following requirements:
Examples of Educational Events or Courses that would not be considered include:
3) Denominational Chaplaincy Events
Attendance at one’s denominational events specifically intended to support Chaplains/Spiritual Caregivers is encouraged, both for ongoing education as well as for growth of supportive relationships within one’s native religious home. If there is a Chaplain’s breakout session at a larger denominational conference, only the time spent in such a breakout session would be applicable towards the requirement.
Please Note: There is a maximum of ten hours creditable in this category.
4) Professional Reading and/or Self-Guided Instruction
Books, articles, and media should be cited by title, author, and date of publication (when known) when submitting your reports. To figure time for books, articles, and media, either select the actual running time (audiobooks, podcasts, etc.) or, when this information is not available, the rule of reporting is two minutes per page. Thus, a 400 page book would result in 13 hours and 15 minutes (rounded to the nearest quarter hour) of reportable continuing education time.
Acceptable topics include:
Examples of reading and instruction that would
not be considered include:
5) Teaching
Members who are in a position to provide instruction in topics related to Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy in their organization, in the ACCC, or in other realms may submit hours as continuing education, subject to the following guidelines:
6) Research Conduct or Review
Members who are in a position to conduct research in topics related to Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy in their organization, in the ACCC, or in other realms may submit hours as continuing education, subject to the following guidelines:
7) ACCC Service
Various ways exist to serve the ACCC and further its mission among Spiritual Caregivers of the Christian tradition.
Activities that would count towards continuing education hours include:
Examples of activities that would not be considered include:
Please Note: There is a maximum of ten hours creditable in this category.
8) Leadership Training (for chaplains holding a supervisor/manager/director role)
Chaplains holding Leadership Roles in their organizations may count training in areas such as finance, Human Resources law and management, organizational leadership, organizational process, etc. in fulfilment of a portion of their required hours.
Please Note: There is a maximum of ten hours creditable in this category.
9) Self-Care for the Chaplain
Acceptable forms of self-care include:
The following forms of self-care would not count:
Please Note: There is a maximum of ten hours creditable in this category.