Advanced Practice Provider Dermatology Fellowship

The goals of the Advanced Practice Provider Dermatology Fellowship are to foster professional growth, promote excellence in clinical practice and develop advanced practice clinician leaders within the field of dermatology.

This transition-to-practice program allows advanced practice providers to expand their knowledge base and develop confidence in their specialty of choice, while remaining in a protected learning environment. The mentorship provided by attending physicians within the department has been integral to the success of this program, as is their commitment to a mission-based culture.

Through this program, the faculty members of Penn State’s Department of Dermatology demonstrate their passion for and commitment to training valuable and successful dermatology providers. Programs like this one emphasize a commitment to lifelong learning, a team-based approach to care and, most importantly, optimal patient outcomes.

Applications to the Advanced Practice Provider Dermatology Fellowship are generally accepted starting in November of the year prior to admission.

General Application Information

The program is affiliated with Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and fellows are hired as full-time employees with benefits, which includes a Continuing Medical Education allowance.

Applicants must be graduates of an accredited nurse practitioner or physician assistant program, and board-certified through one of the major accrediting bodies specific to their discipline. Greater than one year of clinical experience as an advanced practice clinician is preferred.

To apply for the Advanced Practice Provider Dermatology Fellowship, applicants must provide the following items:

• A personal statement, to include the applicant’s purpose in fellowship study and future professional goals as they relate to dermatology.
• An updated curriculum vitae, to include a detailed description of prior dermatology experience, if applicable.
• Minimum of three letters of recommendation, at least one from current or recent supervising physician or advanced practice provider (nurse practitioner or physician assistant).
• An application through the Human Resources website

Direct any inquiries related to the application process to:

Brandi Kring, MSL
Supervisor Administrative Support, Dermatology
bkring@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
717-531-0003, ext. 281913

Allison Golden, CRNP, NP-C
Director, Advanced Practice Provider Dermatology Fellowship
Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
500 University Dr.
Hershey, PA 17033

When can I apply?

• Applications are typically open from October through December each year. You will find the job posting on the Penn State Health Careers website.

When does the fellowship start?

• The fellowship training year runs from June through May each year.

Will I be seeing pediatric and adult patients?

• The fellow will care for patients across the lifespan to gain the most from this training program. For this reason, nurse practitioner candidates should be Family Nurse Practitioner certified

What does a typical week look like in the life of the fellow?

• Daily didactic sessions are held on weekday mornings with residents and fellows.
• Each week, you will have eight half-day sessions of continuity clinic, as well as two half-day sessions of academic time. There are multiple clinic sites, and the fellow has the potential to rotate through each site during their training year. These sites are located in Hershey, Harrisburg, Camp Hill and Lancaster.
• The department hosts Dermatology Grand Rounds on the first Friday of the month from September to June, which the fellow will attend. The topics change monthly and include visiting lecturers from other institutions. There are also opportunities to attend outside Grand Rounds hosted by Geisinger Health System and academic dermatology groups in Philadelphia.

What does the fellowship provide?

• The program provides fellows with
  • An embroidered white coat
  • A new dermatoscope
  • A laptop for the training year
  • Copies of the following textbooks:
    • Comprehensive Dermatologic Drug Therapy (Wolverton)
    • Dermatology (Bolognia- 2 Volume set)
    • Hurwitz Clinical Pediatric Dermatology (Paller)

Are there any clinical rotations?

• Yes, the program offers six weeks of clinical elective rotations to fellows during their training year.
  • Mohs (Mohs surgery, pigmented lesion clinic, laser, and cosmetics)
  • Complex Medical Dermatology (Skin Oncology, CTCL and Rheum/Derm)
  • Surgery (Benign and Malignant)
  • Pediatric Dermatology
  • General Dermatology or Mohs in State College

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Penn State Health

Penn State Health is an integrated academic health system serving patients and communities across 15 counties in central Pennsylvania. It employs more than 20,900 people systemwide.

The system includes Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Health Children’s Hospital and Penn State Cancer Institute based in Hershey, Pa.; Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center in Enola, Pa.; Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill, Pa.; Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center in Lancaster, Pa.; Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Pa.; Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute, a specialty provider of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services, in Harrisburg, Pa.; and 2,417 physicians and direct care providers at 225 outpatient practices. Additionally, the system jointly operates various healthcare providers, including Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center and Hershey Endoscopy Center.

In 2017, Penn State Health partnered with Highmark Health to facilitate creation of a value-based, community care network in the region.

Penn State Health shares an integrated strategic plan and operations with Penn State College of Medicine, the University’s medical school. With campuses in State College and Hershey, Pa., the College of Medicine boasts a portfolio of more than $150 million in funded research and more than 1,700 students and trainees in medicine, nursing, other health professions and biomedical research.

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Penn State Health Children’s Hospital (left), Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (center) and Penn State Cancer Institute (right)

Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

500 University Dr., Hershey, Pa., 17033 (Derry Township, Dauphin County)

• The health system’s 611-bed flagship teaching and research hospital
• The only medical facility in Pennsylvania accredited as both an adult and a pediatric Level I (highest-level) trauma center
• Dedicated surgical, neuroscience, cardiovascular, trauma and medical intensive care units
• Accredited Life Lion critical-care transport providing more than 1,100 helicopter and approximately 750 ground ambulance transports per year
• More than 1,300 faculty members and more than 650 residents and fellows
• Approximately 29,000 admissions, 73,000 emergency department visits, 1.1 million outpatient visits and 33,000 surgical procedures annually
• Designated as a Magnet hospital since 2007

Learn more about Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Penn State Health Children’s Hospital

600 University Dr., Hershey, Pa. 17033 (Derry Township, Dauphin County)

• An eight-story, 263,000-square-foot-facility built in 2013 and expanded in 2020
• 160 licensed pediatric beds, 26-bed pediatric intensive care unit and a 56-bed neonatal intensive care unit
• Level IV (highest-level) neonatal intensive care unit
• Level I quaternary (highest-level) pediatric intensive care unit
• Level I (highest-level) pediatric trauma center designation
• Intermediate care unit
• Dedicated pediatric operating rooms
• More than 150,000 pediatric outpatient visits, 20,000 pediatric emergency room visits, and approximately 5,000 pediatric patient discharges annually

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Fellow wellness, including emotional, spiritual, social and physical health, is a crucial component to training and to becoming a professional, compassionate and resilient physician. Self-care is a skill which must be continually practiced and reinforced. Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health are committed to addressing wellness, with multiple resources readily available.

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• See Penn State College of Medicine wellness resources here