Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, located in Hershey,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
, 10 miles (17 km) east of Harrisburg, is
Penn State’sThe Pennsylvania State University is a state-related, land-grant, space grant public research university located in the University Park area and within State College and College Township in Pennsylvania, United States...
medical schoolA medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine.In addition to a medical degree program, some medical schools offer programs leading to a Master's Degree, Doctor of Philosophy , or other post-secondary education. Medical schools can also...
and academic medical center, and is the only medical school and
university hospitalA university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university...
in Pennsylvania located outside the urban areas of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with the exception of the newly founded medical school in
Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to figures released by the United States Census Bureau in 2000,...
, The Commonwealth Medical College.
History
In 1963, the M. S. Hershey Foundation offered $50 million to The Pennsylvania State University to establish a medical school and teaching hospital in Hershey. With this grant and $21.3 million from the U.S. Public Health Service, the University built a medical school, teaching hospital, and research center. Ground was broken in 1966 and Penn State's College of Medicine opened its doors to the first class of students in 1967 and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center accepted the first patients in 1970.
The original buildings at Penn State Hershey Medical Center included the Medical Science Building and medical center, Animal Research Farm, Laundry and Steam Plant, and University Manor Apartments. Since 1970, the campus has grown from 318 to 550 acres. Many additions have been made to the academic and patient-care facilities.
Today, Penn State Hershey Medical Center has completed several carefully planned construction projects. Additions were made to reflect a steady increase in patient demand for services and to expand research and teaching programs.
Penn State College of Medicine students have gone on to become productive physicians and scientists. As of May 2008, the College of Medicine has granted 3,623 medical degrees and 860 graduate degrees. The College of Medicine offers degree programs in anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology, bioengineering, cell and molecular biology, genetics, integrative biosciences, microbiology and immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and physiology, and two postdoctoral programs leading to an M.S. degree in Laboratory Animal Medicine, the only such program in the Commonwealth, and an M.S. in Health Evaluation Sciences. Each year, more than 360 resident physicians are trained in medical specialties at the Medical Center.
An allied-health training program at Penn State Hershey Medical Center leading to a Penn State certificate in Cardiovascular Perfusion Technology has graduated 74 students through 2001. The Radiologic Technology Training Program, conducted at Penn State Hershey until 1998, is now offered at the Penn State Schuylkill Campus.
Nursing students from Penn State College of Health and Human Development B.S. degree program rotate through University Hospital for clinical courses each term, and students from other Penn State health-related programs and other institutions come to the campus for clinical experience. The extended B.S. degree program for nurses is offered in conjunction with the College of Health and Human Development.
Continuing education programs serve Penn State Hershey Medical Center and health-care professionals throughout Pennsylvania, with enrollments exceeding 21,000 each year.
Basic and clinical research is conducted at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and is supported by $60.1 million in awards from federal, state, and private agencies, businesses, and individuals.
At the end of June, 2008, Penn State Hershey Medical Center admitted 26,684 patients and provided care through 808,642 outpatient and 51,758 emergency-service visits. Penn State Hershey Medical Center has over 7,400 employees, 355 volunteers, and the College of Medicine enrolls more than 600 students annually.
Penn State College of Medicine
Penn State College of Medicine students have gone on to become world renowned productive physicians and scientists. As of May 2001, the College of Medicine has graduated 2,808 physicians (M.D.) and 598 scientists with Ph.D. or M.S. degrees. The College of Medicine offers degree programs in
anatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy...
,
biochemistryBiochemistry is the study of the chemical processes in living organisms. It deals with the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules....
and
molecular biologyMolecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, bioengineering, cell and
molecular biologyMolecular biology is the study of biology at a molecular level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
,
geneticsGenetics, , a discipline of biology, is the science of heredity and variation in living organisms. The fact that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding...
, integrative biosciences,
microbiologyMicrobiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes. Viruses, though not strictly classed as living organisms, are also studied...
and
immunologyImmunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with, among other things, the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and disease; malfunctions of the immune system in...
,
neuroscienceNeuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Such studies span the structure, function, evolutionary history, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, informatics, computational neuroscience and pathology of the nervous system.The International Brain Research...
,
pharmacologyPharmacology is the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and exogenous chemicals that alter normal biochemical function. If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals...
, and
physiologyPhysiology is the science of the functioning of living systems. It is a subcategory of biology...
, and two postdoctoral programs leading to an M.S. degree in Laboratory Animal Medicine, the only such program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. in Health Evaluation Sciences. Each year, more than 360 resident
physicianA physician — also known as medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, medical doctor, or simply doctor — practices the ancient profession of medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury...
s are trained in medical specialties at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. The medical center also maintains a School of Nursing.
College of Medicine statistics: (as of 2008)
- One in six applicants to U.S. medical schools applies to Penn State College of Medicine
- 96 percent of students receive financial aid. Scholarships range from $500 to $9,000.
- The student population is 50 percent female, 50 percent male, with 13 percent of students under-represented minorities.
- There are 22 residency fellowship programs and 25 subspecialty programs.
- In the graduate program, nearly 195 College of Medicine staff members serve as Penn State's graduate faculty as teachers, thesis advisors, and mentors for graduate students.
Penn State Children's Hospital
Penn State Children’s Hospitalat the Penn State Hershey Medical Center is the only
children's hospitalA children's hospital is a hospital which offers its services exclusively to children. The number of children's hospitals proliferated in the 20th century, as pediatric medical and surgical specialties separated from internal medicine and adult surgical specialties...
in central Pennsylvania and maintains the region's only Level I (highest level), state-of-the-art
neonatal intensive care unitA neonatal intensive care unit, usually shortened NICU and also called a newborn intensive care unit, intensive care nursery , and special care baby unit , is a unit of a hospital specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants...
(NICU). The
pediatric intensive care unitthumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive care unit , critical care unit , intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit is a specialized department used in many countries' hospitals that provides intensive care medicine...
(PICU) at Penn State Children’s Hospital received the highest rating for its care to medical, surgical, and trauma patients by the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Evaluations. This ranks the PICU among the top in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The hospital is a leader in several specialties including
neonatal careNeonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn infant. It is a hospital-based specialty, and is usually practiced in neonatal intensive care units...
, pediatric oncology,
pediatric cardiologyPediatrics is a branch of medical care that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The upper age limit ranges from age 12 to 21, depending on the country....
,
pediatric surgeryPediatric surgery or paediatric surgery is a subspecialty of surgery involving the surgery of fetuses, infants, children, adolescents, and young adults...
, and
pediatric traumaPhysical trauma refers to a physical injury, generally of a considerably severe degree. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as shock, respiratory failure and death.-Common causes:Comprehensive...
. The Children's Hospital houses 120 beds and treats more than 125,000 patients annually.
A new
expansion of the Children's Hospital was announced in February 2003, which calls for a free-standing children's hospital to be constructed adjacent to the new
Penn State Cancer InstituteThe Penn State Cancer Institute is a cancer research center of the Penn State Hershey Medical Center located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Institute provides clinical care, research, education and community outreach services throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania...
building. Along with the existing emergency department and main hospital entrances, the Children's Hospital and Cancer Institute will form a clinical quadrangle on the east side of the medical center, complete with convenient pick-up and drop off points for patients. In 2008, Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital was listed in
U.S. News & World Report as one of America's Best Children's Hospitals..
External links