Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

This is a university-based, quaternary academic general surgery program anchored at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, with rotations spanning community sites (UPMC Pinnacle Community Osteopathic, UPMC Pinnacle Harrisburg) and a children's hospital, giving residents exposure across the full acuity spectrum from community surgery to complex quaternary referral care. The program explicitly builds in a dedicated research pathway, offering up to two years of protected laboratory time after PGY-2 for residents pursuing basic science, surgical education, or health services/outcomes research, signaling that academic development is structurally embedded rather than incidental. Subspecialty services (vascular, surgical oncology, MIS/bariatric with an associated fellowship, trauma/acute care/critical care) plus an ACS-accredited Level I simulation center support both fellowship-bound and broad general-surgery-practice trajectories, and the program states graduates are prepared for either academic or private-practice careers. The five-per-year categorical cohort, integrated PGY-1 rotations with other surgical specialties, and heavy emphasis on didactics, simulation, and mentorship suggest the program values residents who can handle broad clinical responsibility early while also engaging seriously with scholarly work.