Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

Penn State Hershey's Internal Medicine Residency is a university-based, quaternary academic program that trains 21 categorical residents per year across three distinct clinical environments: the Hershey Medical Center tertiary/quaternary referral hospital, Lebanon VA Medical Center, and Lancaster General's community-based urban hospital, giving trainees exposure spanning complex referral pathology to community internal medicine. Research is structurally embedded rather than optional, evidenced by a dedicated Associate Program Director for Research, a 12-week protected Longitudinal Research Track, a formal ABIM Research Pathway (24 months categorical + fellowship + 36 months research) explicitly built for MD/PhD-type physician-scientist trajectories, and consistent resident presentation at national subspecialty meetings. Career orientation is broad but fellowship-forward: subspecialty fellowship match success exceeds 95%, and the program offers eight named tracks (Primary Care, Hospitalist, Longitudinal Research, ABIM Research, Health Systems Science, Clinician Educator, POCUS, Global Health & Health Inequities) reflecting an institutional emphasis on individualized, health-systems-conscious career development rather than a single dominant path. Distinctive infrastructure includes 4+2+2 block scheduling, a 36-month POCUS curriculum, academy-based Master Educator mentorship/coaching, and Penn State's health systems science pedigree, signaling a preference for residents who want structured optionality alongside academic rigor.