Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

The Otolaryngology Residency is a fully-accredited training program in Hershey, Pa. Many clinical facilities reside on the 550-acre main campus, with several satellite offices and surgery centers across central Pennsylvania.

About the Residency

• Penn State will be matching 2 residents for the July 2025 start (2 clinical), who will be joined by the program's 2024 research resident to form a three-member PGY-1 team.

• The program’s Match quota is three residents per year clinical (15 total)

• Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship (one fellow per year)

• Head and Neck Endocrine and Oncology Fellowship (one fellow per year)

• A diverse and experienced physician faculty, with specialties including:

  • Otolaryngology (includes adult and pediatric skull-base, microvascular free flap reconstruction and cosmetic surgery)

  • Head and neck oncology

  • Pediatric otolaryngology

  • Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery

  • Laryngology

  • Neurotology

  • Rhinology

• In the Department of Otolaryngology, more than 33,000 outpatient visits and nearly 2,700 surgical cases per year

• Approximately 25 resident publications annually

• Approximately 40 regional/national presentations annually

• Resident didactic sessions from 7 to 8 a.m. each weekday

• Multiple workshop courses:

  • Internal: Temporal bone dissection, facial plating, laser, facial fillers, pediatric airway, ultrasound

  • External: Otorhinolaryngology boot camp, SimFEST, Indiana basic science course, AAOA course, A/O courses, CHOP airway course

Penn State’s Otolaryngology Residency aims to guide the adult learner from medical student to an independent and competent practitioner of the surgical field. The process involves hard work and dedication on the part of educators and learners. A presumption is held that the resident applicant is an intelligent, motivated and dedicated individual who enters the program seeking to reach the goal of competence and even expertise.

With that ideal in mind, the curriculum has been designed and implemented to assist in achieving that goal. Significant independent, self-directed learning is expected from the resident throughout the training program.

The over-arching goals of the program include:

• Guide the resident in development of an extensive fund of knowledge within medicine, and specifically the otolaryngologic sciences.

• Empower the resident in the arena of lifelong learning, as residency is not the completion, but the beginning of this process.

• Provide graduated and progressive responsibility in the care of medical and surgical patients, as determined by training and ability.

• Set forth practices to ensure competent, safe, high-quality and fiscally responsible medical care to the patients under our care, regardless of socioeconomic or cultural background.

• Provide guidance and experiential learning in the area of medical research, as a foundation for furthering the medical field and personal professional growth.

• Provide skills in the identification and application of evidence-based medicine.

• Assist in the creation of effective communication techniques for trainees, for interactions with peers, health care professionals, patients, families and the community at large.

• Promote awareness of the value of coordination of care among members of the health care delivery system, keeping in mind of safety, quality and cost containment.

• Develop the skills to incorporate formative and summative feedback in continuous practice improvement.

• Promote all aspects of the six ACGME core competencies as they relate to otolaryngology (head and neck surgery).

The Otolaryngology Residency carefully reviews all applications. The candidacy of applicants is not based on any singular factor, but a holistic review of the entire package of provided materials.

Key items required for the selection process include:

• Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS) application

  listing experiences

• At least three letters of recommendation

• U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) scores

• Medical school transcript

• Dean’s letter

• Personal statement

Interview offers are then made to applicants who are deemed to have qualifications and attributes best suited to being successful in the program.

All interviews were conducted virtually in keeping with the Coalition for Physician Accountability guidelines for the 2020-2024 residency application cycles. For the 2024-2025 cycle, Penn State Health Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery has decided to return to an in-person format, as most 2024 otolaryngology applicants and a majority of programs favored that format.

The deadline for application is Nov. 1. Offers for interviews will be communicated to applicants via email using our interview software, Thalamus. Interview dates will be held on Dec. 16, 2024, Dec. 17, 2024, and Jan. 10, 2025.

All applications must be made through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).

To celebrate past achievements and foster future growth, Penn State Health's Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Residency graduates are automatically members of the . This society aims to build a valuable network of peers and strengthen the relationship with the training program.

PGY-1

The first year is performed at the primary institution, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Rotations include:

• Otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) (six months)

• Surgical intensive care unit (one month)

• Ophthalmology/oculoplastics (one month)

• Neurosurgery (one month)

• Anesthesia (one month)

• Pediatric surgery (one month)

• General surgery (one month)

PGY-2 to PGY-5

Years two through five involve a strong surgical training experience across the spectrum of the specialty, with an emphasis on balanced exposure.

Hershey Medical Center and Penn State Health Children's Hospital are the focal points of the clinical experience. These freestanding facilities are connected to Penn State Cancer Institute as well as the primary outpatient clinic setting. An on-campus ambulatory surgery center, along with a private community surgical center, provide other settings for surgical experience-building.

Research can provide excellent resident educational opportunities. All residents in both the clinical and research tracks are required to participate in structured research activities, with at least one long-term project.

• Residents have three months of dedicated research time during PGY-3.

• Submission for publication of the project in a peer-reviewed journal is required.

• Annually, each resident must identify a project and submit an abstract to the Pennsylvania Academy of Otolaryngology.

Most residents participate in research beyond these requirements.

Department-sponsored academic courses offer outside educational opportunities. The course opportunities include a basic science course, airway foreign body courses, the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy (AAOA) Basic Course, junior and senior resident simulation courses and other courses as they become available.

Residents are encouraged to attend professional meetings annually. Experience and education are maximized if the resident presents a paper at these meetings. If a research presentation is to be delivered by the resident, reasonable travel expenses will be covered by the department.

Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center accept ongoing nominations for the Exceptional Moments in Teaching award.

The award, given monthly by the Office for a Respectful Learning Environment, accepts nominations from College of Medicine students who are invited to submit narratives about faculty members, residents, fellows, nurses or any other educators who challenge them and provide an exceptional learning experience. .

Previous nominees from the Otolaryngology Residency are listed here.

The annual Resident/Fellow Research Day is held each year (with exception of during the COVID-19 pandemic) on and around the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus.

The intent of the event is to provide an opportunity for residents and fellows to showcase their research accomplishments to their peers in other clinical departments, as well as their colleagues in the basic sciences.

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Previous presentations from the Otolaryngology Residency are listed here.

Residents and faculty of Penn State Health stand with Dr. José Zevallos, keynote speaker for the symposium.

Attendees listen to a presentation during the 2024 symposium.

Since 2023, the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery hosts an annual research symposium to showcase the research work and projects of residents, fellows and medical students.

This yearly event highlights the outstanding scholarly work of the department's talented team and includes a keynote lecture presented by a visiting professor.