Residency Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  Do the residents have continuity in their clinics?

A.  Yes, our residents start a continuity clinic beginning on the first day of residency. All of the faculty members share in precepting the continuity clinic. Every new patient seen is then followed by that resident for the duration of residency. Residents spend seven half days per week in continuity clinic. This experience is excellent preparation for the practice of dermatology.

Q.  What is a typical week for a resident?

A.  Each resident has one half day of surgery every week. There are two half days per week allotted for academic/research time. The remainder of the week is spent in patient clinics. All residents have clinics at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.  First year residents have one day per week of continuity clinic at Nyes Road (Harrisburg, PA), satellite clinic.  2nd and 3rd year residents have one to two days per week of continuity clinic at Nyes Road (Harrisburg, PA).

Q.  How often is call?

A.  Call is rotated on a weekly basis, every nine weeks.

Q. What are satellite clinics?

Q.  What electives are available?

A.  Second year residents will spend two months in Dermatopathology and one month in Mohs surgery. Third year residents have four weeks of elective time—which may be utilized for Dermatopathology, Mohs surgery, research, or training in outside institutions. For ease of patient continuity during elective months, one full day of clinic is incorporated per week during the elective time. Special arrangements can be made for clinic coverage during away electives.

Q.   Will I be bored in Central Pennsylvania?

A.  There’s a reason Hershey is known as the sweetest place on earth (besides Hersheypark). For the outdoor lover, there are numerous activities to pursue. Hiking, biking, and running are encouraged with numerous trails within and around Hershey. The Susquehanna River (as well as multiple tributaries) is in our backyard, so kayaking, canoeing, and boating are easily pursued. Hunters are thrilled to have access to the State Gamelands for vast areas of inviting forest. For those with a love of music, plays, or theater, Harrisburg has numerous theaters. Hershey boasts about the Hershey Theater, which offers many orchestral performances, off Broadway plays/musicals, and ballet.  The Hershey Giant Center and Stadium also attract top rock and pop artists. For the perpetual shopper, there are many outlets within Hershey and nearby Lancaster, as well as exclusive department stores. Finally, food lovers will enjoy the wide range of offerings—cuisine from Italy, France, Thailand, Mexico, Vietnam, China, Korea, and  Japan--as well as local Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine-- are found throughout Central PA.

For those interested in city life, Hershey is located 15 minutes away from Harrisburg, one and a half hours from Philadelphia/Baltimore, two hours away from Washington DC and three hours away from New York City.

Q.   What is the learning environment?

A.  Although challenging, this program remains friendly, nurturing and collegial—feel free to ask our residents!

Q.  Are your residents prepared well for the boards?

A.  Boasting a near 100% pass rate since the beginning of our residency in the early 1980's, our graduates are well-prepared for boards. Weekday conferences are held from 8-9 AM.  Monday is journal club and is held four times per month. The four Journal Clubs are:  1) Archives of Dermatology, 2) Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 3)  Ancillary Dermatology journals (including The Journal of Investigative Dermatology), and 4) Ancillary Medical journals/Ethics Conference (i.e. NEJM). Residents are responsible for all the articles in the Archives of Dermatology and Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. All attendings are present and prepared for the lively discussions that ensue in Journal Club. Tuesday morning is Book Club, where assigned chapters are discussed with an attending (this may be in the form of Jeopardy). Wednesday mornings feature a discussion of a chapter in Textbook of Dermatopathology 2nd Edition and review of pertinent histology.  Thursday and Friday mornings are an opportunity to review Genodermatoses 2nd Edition by Spitz and Contact and Occupation Dermatology 3rd Edition by Marks, Elsner, DeLeo or for varied conferences—surgical, basic science, Kodachrome unknown sessions, etc. (Book choices may vary as they are selected by the chief residents annually.)

In addition, each resident is responsible for a Basic Science Lecture (45-60 minutes & done yearly) formally delivered during Grand Rounds/Clinicopathologic Conference--on the topic of their choice/interest. Residents are expected to obtain a 50% percentile or greater score on the annual practice boards provided by the American Board of Dermatology.

Q.  Is teaching by the faculty emphasized in your program?

A.  Yes. As mentioned above, all attendings are expected to participate in Journal Club. In addition to clinical preceptorship, every attending rotates the responsibility of consult round attending as well as the discussion leader during the morning sessions. It is rare to have a morning didactic session without at least one attending (often other attendings sit in just to review the topic themselves). 

Q.  What textbooks are utilized by the program?

A.  Each year, the senior residents determine what texts to use during book club, and for dermatopathology.  Texts are provided by the program. 

Q.  Is research emphasized by your program?

A.  Every resident is required to complete at least one research project. This may be a clinical trial, review article or basic science research. There are numerous opportunities to pursue research. Attendings have varied interests and areas of expertise, for example hair loss, contact dermatitis, acne, rosacea, skin cancer, immunology, pediatrics, and pharmacology. 

Q.  Do you have adequate surgery and cosmetic training?

A.  Yes. Each resident has a minimum of one half day per week of surgery. Residents are the principal surgeon on the vast majority of cases, supervised by an attending. Emphasis is placed on basic surgical techniques for removal of neoplasms. A Mohs surgery elective is mandatory second year and optional third year. There are surgical conferences frequently throughout the year. 

Cosmetic training is available to residents through lectures, on and off campus shadowing of cosmetic procedures, and through elective time during the second and third year.  Just this year, the residents have developed a monthly Cosmetic Clinic in conjunction with our Division of Plastic Surgery.

Q.  What meetings do residents attend?

A.  Second and third year residents attend the Annual American Academy of Dermatology meetings. First and Third year residents attend the Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology meeting. All Residents attend the Contact Dermatitis: State-of-the-Art Issues meeting. Residents are provided with five conference days per year. 

Q.   How many vacation days are allotted per year to a resident?

A.  We allot twenty vacation days per year per resident.

Q.  What are the strengths of the residency program?

A.  The strongest aspect of the program is the people—the residents, faculty and support staff—not to mention the patients. You’ll find everyone is enthusiastic, friendly, and willing to take the time to answer your questions. Once monthly there is a clinic meeting run by our chairman which allows for input from every staff member, secretary through attending.  Likewise, the facilities are modern, clean, and constantly updated.

Are there weaknesses?  Of course, we are biased, but there are relatively few weaknesses. There are fewer minority patients in our clinics than found in inner city hospitals, but minorities are not completely lacking.

Q.  What happens to graduates of this residency program?

A.  Our graduates are located across the United States—some in academic positions, others in private practice. There are numerous grads who have pursued Mohs surgery fellowships and Dermatopathology fellowships. Several graduates have opened their own practices; some in Central PA. 

Q.  Is the faculty stable?

A.  Yes. Some joke that once you arrive in Hershey, you never leave. Notably, several of our prior residents have chosen to remain as attendings, despite tempting offers from outside. 

Q.  What community service projects are there in the program?

A.  Every other month at least one of our doctors/residents travels to the Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg for a dermatology clinic. This clinic cares for the homeless population of the city. In addition, Penn State Dermatology hosts an annual free skin check clinic each May where all doctors participate. Our residents are also involved in delivering annual STD lectures to local high school health classes.

Q.  Are there significant changes for the future?

A.  We are constantly making changes in order to improve the program.  Suggestions are always welcomed by the staff. Residents feel free to give their input and often alter “standard operating procedures” as well. In the words of our Chairman, James G. Marks Jr., M.D. we are “proactive”.