Penn State Hershey

[skinknee]

Could anyone share some insight about the chocolate hospital!?

Is there program comparable to IU? or UTSW? Or is it in the top tier with University of Pitt and UPenn? I'm talking about in terms of strong faculty, ability to land fellowships, good variety of specimens, good volume of specimens.

I don't care for geography or being near a big city.
Thanks.

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[djmd]

Could anyone share some insight about the chocolate hospital!?

Is there program comparable to IU? or UTSW? Or is it in the top tier with University of Pitt and UPenn? I'm talking about in terms of strong faculty, ability to land fellowships, good variety of specimens, good volume of specimens.

I don't care for geography or being near a big city.
Thanks.

It is small friendly program, with attendings who are good and very interested in teaching...
I would be comparable (but a little below IU and UTSW).
Definitely not in Pitt or UPenns league)

I don't know about their ability to get almuni jobs/fellowships...
Their volume is not huge but has variety.

 

[skinknee]

That's good to know, appreciate your insight. Anyone else have anything to add? TIA

 

[suckerfree]

That program is awesome. It is actually a very large pathology program with a moderate to heavy surgical volume (37,000 I think). It is very peaceful in Hershey, a great place to study and during the weekends you can easily party or chill in philadelphia. They have almost every service in house. Also, they have a good relationship with Johns Hopkins for fellowship placement. The cost of living is pretty low as well out there I think. I loved the program when I interviewed, I just wanted to go live in Southern Cali instead. They have to be the main catch basin for a very large population base because outside of philadelphia programs 2+ hours away, they are the primary pathology consultation for that entire part of the state.

 

[Ephelis]

Everyone at Hershey is pretty happy. There is a good volume of cases (40,000 surgicals). The cycle is 4 days, with day for being for Dermpath and research, which gives one time to "recover" before they head back to the gross room. There are 4 PA's , so the resident concentrates on the big cases. The attendings are all nice and genuinely care about your education. The residents are a good group, too. There is a surgical pathology and dermatopathology fellowship on site, and a hemepath program is rumored to be in the works. The downside is the location, there is not a lot to do in Hershey once you have had your fill of Hersheypark and Chocolate world. There is weekend trip potential with Harrisburg only 20 minutes away, New York, Philly, DC and Baltimore nearby, as well as places like Gettysburg.
The job market for non-doctor spouses is also a bit difficult, as the main employment is the hospital and the chocolate factory, otherwise, the area is pretty rural.

The air really does smell like Chocolate, in case you were wondering.

 

[JoeFISH]

Some corrections and info:

The cycle is 4 days, but day 4 is Dermpath in the am, partially Neuropath, and prepping in the pm for day 1. There are 2 PA's in the grossroom and 2 tech's. Last year we had 40,942 surgicals, 21,626 cytology specimens, and 98 autopsies. There are Dermpath, Surgpath, and BloodBank fellowships, and possibly Heme on the way. In recent years the fellowship placements have been pretty good; MD Anderson, Cleveland Clinic, UVA, AGH, Dermpath here, Yale, etc.

Harrisburg is really close and the other cities are only a short drive away. We got to Baltimore often for crab. If you need a big city, then perhaps Hershey isn't ideal, but if you do any outdoor activities then it's great IMO. I don't know much about specific job markets, but my spouse was able to get a job shortly after the match. It rains here A LOT which surprised me, but it's pretty warm in the summer.

The residents are cool, with a mix of singles, married, kids, etc. We try to get together on the weekends, for holidays (Halloween is a big one here...), and to just hang out.

Hope this helped...