Frequently Asked Questions

All interviews will be conducted in person. No virtual interviews will be offered. The residency will pay for dinner out with a group of residents the night before. The residency will arrange for and pay for a hotel room the night before the interview, breakfast is included. Lunch will be provided during the interview day.

Yes, on the Family Medicine Inpatient Service, Obstetrical Service, and the Internal Medicine Teaching Service residents will cover the services at night and be off during the day. The shift is usually from 5:30 pm to 7 am. Other residents cover these services during the day and leave in the early evening.

The Lancaster General Family Medicine Residency Program adheres to the ACGME work-hour regulations. 

We are considered an “unopposed” program. Whether in the inpatient, pediatric, obstetric, or ED settings, there is no competition for procedures or having access to teaching attendings. There are trauma residents and internal medicine residents who rotate at Lancaster General Health, but they are not affiliated with our health system.

We have a very collaborative environment. Many of the physicians and staff are wonderful teachers, having seen many generations of residents start off as hesitant interns and leave as competent, confident graduates.

There is a daily morning report led by various faculty and residents. Our pediatric, medicine, and inpatient family medicine teams often present interesting cases. Various other specialties, including cardiology, orthopedics, obstetrics, geriatrics, and sports medicine also rotate into the schedule.

Each residency class has one half-day per 4-week block dedicated to teaching specific to the level of experience. The last Wednesday afternoon of each block is dedicated to all-residency teaching. Faculty and residents also make a concerted effort to have teaching talks after each clinic session and also on our inpatient services.

Our obstetrics curriculum is one of our strengths and all our residents become proficient to provide OB care after graduation. Our program prioritizes continuity deliveries as much as scheduling allows. Most of our residents come out of the residency with 60-80 vaginal deliveries and sometimes more than 100 depending on resident interests.

Interns spend two months on OB, second years have one dedicated month, and third years have one month. Second and third years also take weekend calls on Fridays and Saturdays.

Our residents also become proficient in caring for prenatal patients in the clinic which allows for the opportunity to care for the whole family. One model of caring for prenatal patients that we use is called “Centering Pregnancy” which is a group care model that our residents lead.

We are not a program that will train you to do c-sections right out of residency, but have electives available to gain more experience. We have a good track record of matching residents into OB fellowships.

Our program provides residents with office skills that will allow them to perform the standard procedures in day-to-day practice.

Procedures that residents achieve competence in include, but are not limited to:

• skin biopsies
• placement of long acting reversible contraception (Implants and IUDs)
• suturing of lacerations
• obstetrical procedures including cook catheter placements
• artificial rupture and membranes, and vaginal laceration repairs
• circumcisions
• joint injections

Yes, we have third- and fourth-year medical student rotations and electives. Residents work with medical students in all settings including in clinic, inpatient adult medicine, inpatient pediatrics, and OB.

There are also opportunities for teaching-based electives where third-year residents work as the clinic preceptor for other residents.

Our annual salaries increase each year. See our  Salary and Benefits page for the current information.

The health insurance is very reasonable, and includes dental and ophthalmic coverage. Residents have a generous food stipend that can be used at the various cafeterias and cafes in the hospital. Many residents find the amount more than adequate. The program also reimburses residents for the mileage they travel.

Yes, the program provides interns with up to $300 for a new electronic device. This benefit is separate from the allotted CME reimbursement ($5,000 over three years) and can only be used during the intern year.

Intern year is the most inpatient heavy year and the schedule is organized in a way where interns aren’t overburdened with consecutive inpatient rotations.

Interns do not work Friday evenings which allows for a dedicated time for the class to come together to hang out. Interns also do not work 24-hour shifts.

Once per block, there is a dedicated time called Intern Support Group which is time for the class to gather and discuss relevant issues.

Yes, this happens regularly during our monthly all residency gatherings called “Liver Rounds”. The different classes also get together frequently for game nights, hiking trips, dining out, ice cream adventures, and potlucks. Check out the community tab for all the things we love to do.

Yes! This residency has historically been very democratic with a very responsive administration to resident needs.

Dr. Vnenchak, our program director, strongly advocates for resident issues. The hospital administration is proud of the residency program and therefore is supportive of resident initiatives. Not only do residents voice their concerns at our monthly residency meetings, but also we sit on numerous hospital-wide policy committees.

Residents actively participate in new intern selection by interviewing and shaping the final rank list prior to the match. Also, our chief residents and resident coordinator are chosen based on feedback from their peers.

While Lancaster County is stereotypically associated with the Amish community, the patient population we serve is very diverse. With our dual continuity clinic set-up, we care for patients in both urban and rural settings.

Lancaster has also been called as the refugee capital of the United States as the city resettles 20 times more refugees per capita than the rest of the US. With such a diverse patient population, our residents feel prepared to practice anywhere they choose.

Our residents come from all over the country and come with diverse interests including women's health, HIV care, addiction medicine, health-care advocacy and equity, global health, integrative medicine, and sports medicine.

We have residents from all stages of life including residents who are single, dating, married, and with children.

After residency, some residents find work locally and some move to various places around the country including Washington State, the Southwest, Texas, and all along the East Coast.

Because the hospital is located in the city, many residents take advantage of living downtown to not only be close to work but to also take advantage of the many restaurants, shops, and the farmer’s market.

There are also many apartment complexes and townhome communities 10-15 minutes outside of the city. For residents who have a partner who matched at Hershey Medical Center or York, they often live in Elizabethtown or Mount Joy to help split the commute.

Most people rent their place which can range from $800-$1300 for one bedroom. There are a couple of residents who purchased their home.

Lancaster is a diverse and vibrant city. Please check out the Living in Lancaster page to see all the things we love to do in Lancaster!

While Lancaster is a great place to explore, sometimes our residents just want to get away from the city. Lancaster is located within reasonable driving distance to many other exciting locations.

We are about a 1.5-hour drive from Baltimore and Philadelphia and about 3-4 hours from New York City. The Delaware, Maryland and Jersey shores are within three hours as well.

The Amtrak station is just a 10-minute walk from the hospital, making travel very convenient.

Fur babies are welcomed and supported. The work schedule is pet friendly and you will always have a co-resident willing to lend a hand if you are on-call. Most rental properties are pet friendly and there are many dog parks scattered throughout the city. There are local adoption agencies as well, where many of our residents have adopted furry friends.

The city and its surroundings offer many options for family living. Some of the residents come to Lancaster with families and others start their families while in the program. The program itself is very supportive of residents who are looking to start families. They help coordinate schedules to allow for maximal maternity/paternity leave. There is also a “family life” elective to assist with time spent at home.

Lancaster County also has many excellent choices when it comes to school districts. From public to private to home schooling networks, there are an array of options.

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health supports LGBTQ employees across the system. Over the years, our program has been home to several queer residents and currently we have one out faculty member, Emily Kirchner ‘20.

Pride occurs every year in Lancaster and in the surrounding cities. The Lancaster LGBTQ Coalition is also very active.

In Lancaster, our Comprehensive Care practice provides the majority of HIV care and gender affirming care.