Veterans Helping Veterans Into Dentistry
It’s been a journey…
Throughout this journey I recognize the efforts, assistance and sacrifices that others made that contributed to my success. Although I took a non-traditional pathway, I have had the pleasure of mentoring and assisting many individuals in the dental/medical field through the military to medical transition and school application process. The intent of this site is to be a compiled data source to give aspiring dental professionals a template on how to transition from the military and gain entry into the dental profession.
I truly enjoy assisting others and have dedicated hundreds of hours helping fellow dental students that are applying for military HPSP/HSCP scholarships, former army colleagues interested in density and everything in between. The emails, phone calls and correspondence were welcomed but I found myself answering a lot the same questions over and over again. My goal is to use this platform as a solid starting point to assist in getting more Veterans into the dental/medical/nursing professions. This is doable, you just need a plan, and be willing to delay gratification.
Most importantly this is MY experience, and this site is intended to serve as an example of a way to transition, not the only way. By no means is there any guarantee that this will work for everybody, but I learned a lot of lessons and would love for others to not make the same mistakes. ENJOY!
Marine Osprey Pilot to UAB School of Dentistry
Awesome interview with Dave on his internal struggles while leaving the military and applying for dental school. If you are questioning following your aspirations to attend dental, medical or any other school this is a must read!
Where does your school rank?
Everybody is concerned about rankings, public vs private schools, reputations, clinical experience and cost. These are all things to heavily weigh in your decision of where to apply, what the military will pay for and how much debt you will incur. Remember: The best dental school is the one that you get into!
USMA 2014 to University of Washington Dental School
Check out Emily, a medical service officer currently at the University of Washington School of Dentistry.
Dental Veteran Spotlight #1
Recently I had the opportunity to sit down via zoom with another active duty veteran turned dentist. I was shocked how much we had in common specifically similar struggles during application process and why we chose dentistry as a post military profession. We talked for about 45 minutes, below is a summary of our discussion. ENJOY!!! Andrew also host a podcast and helps dental applicants through dental applications services, see links below.
Why does the dental field need more Veterans?
Dentistry is a complex and rewarding profession that contributes to the comprehensive health of the community. Dentistry and other health care professions (medical school, nursing, physician assistants and nurse practitioners) are typically not at the top of the list when active duty service members look to transition out of the military however if you are interested in healthcare I highly recommend exploring these opportunities before you transition. According to the US News and World Report, 4 of the top 5 “Best 100 Jobs” are in the medical profession. These health professions offer high quality of life, rewarding work and a flexible lifestyle, most importantly these professions need veterans within their ranks.
There is no question that the COVID-19 virus has affected our daily lives. Read about how dental schools are responding and some tips to make this time of online learning productive! Feel free to contacts us and ask questions! Always love hearing form current and aspiring dentist and dental students.
How will the COVID-19 Pandemic affect VA Benefits?
We are all concerned about the COVID-19 Pandemic and how it will affect our VA Educational Benefits. This news is changing often and I will do my best to keep up to date information on this page.
Applying to Dental School? This is your bible!
This book was recommended to me by a mentor and served as my dental school application bible. This book has all relevant information for all US and Canadian schools including admissions profile, contact information, DAT Scores, GPA and cost. I purchased the hard copy, tabbed my target schools and revisited it daily.
How important is networking in the application and decision process?
I would argue that this is the most critical and often overlooked component of the application process. Not only can mentors assist with applications and school selection, direct connections to schools/admissions departments play a key role on admissions and interviews