Dental Veterans Spotlight
December 2020
Recently I had the opportunity to sit down via zoom with another active duty veteran turned dentist. I was shocked how much in common 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.
Dental School: University of Minnesota School of Dentisty class of 2021
Military Service: Air Force- Aircraft Maintenance officer and Acquisition Officer.
Brief Bio: Andrew is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy class of 2012 and served as an Aircraft Maintenance officer at Whiteman AFB from 2012-2015. Andrew transitioned to become an Acquisition Officer where he served at Wright Patterson AFB from 2015-2017. In 2017 he separated from the Air Force to attend dental school at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. Andrew is a D4, has served as the Class president for all 4 years and has been accepted into the Periodontics Residency at the University of Minnesota. He currently serves in the Air Force Reserves in Minneapolis, MN.
What ultimately led you to transition out of the Air Force into the profession of dentistry?
Desiring to help my airmen. When I was on active duty, I went to bed at night fulfilled when I helped my Airmen succeed. It could have been with their college classes, personal fitness, relationships, or anything else - when I helped them succeed, I was fulfilled. That led me to want to join a career where I could do that every day. Naturally, healthcare is a good place to look. I was always fascinated by biology and the human body. My father is a physician and he certainly fanned the flame that made me interested in going to be a doctor. I also love working with my hands, so finding a career field that allowed me to serve people while also physically doing something with my hands (not just typing on a computer) is what ultimately led me to dentistry.
How has serving in the military contributed to your success in the dental profession?
Communication- As an officer, I had to brief 5 times daily for 3 years and learned how to effectively communicate good and bad news. You can cut the best MOD prep but if you cannot communicate and provide a good customer experience, good clinical skills don't matter. Learning how to communicate treatment recommendations, advantages and disadvantages and providing an overall good experience is what makes veterans unique.
Being committed to a cause bigger than themselves-Veterans are different than our typical classmates who came right out of undergrad. They may not have been accountable to anything other than their own actions. Veterans understand sacrifice and contributing to the greater good. This plays well into dentistry by making sure we are always keeping in mind the greater good of the patient.
Given our unique backgrounds we have had to make life and death decisions. These decisions are unique and put the world in perspective especially given the academic requirements at dental school. Having an understanding of what matters and what does not and having the ability to compartmentalize is important in dental school and also being a good dentist. I think it also helps the patient experience when you can approach things in a calm manner because you’ve been there and know how to handle stressful situations. When you don’t get rattled, at least outwardly, patients see and respect you for it.
Leadership-the leadership experience learned and trained in the military teaches us to partner and empower people to make the best decisions. Dental schools rarely teach leadership, nobody taught us how to lead a dental team, but the leadership learned in the military will help us become successful in the leadership driven small business environment.
What was the most difficult part applying to dental school as a non-traditional application?
I had no idea how to study for the DAT or even what a competitive DAT score was. I did not know how to create a personal statement that would be meaningful to an admissions committee. Being on active duty I was not afforded the time off to shadow dentists as much as I would have liked so I heavily relied on the StudentDoctorNetwork (which I think is mostly useless).
How did you choose what schools to apply to and why did you ultimately choose UMN Dentistry?
I chose schools that were generally smaller in size, desirable locations to live and where my wife could work. I ended up applying to 7 schools and I was interviewed and accepted at 2 schools. I think it is important to understand there seems to be very little rhyme or reason to the application process and why you are accepted or rejected. This being said, understand that as a “veteran non-traditional” applicant, you have many transferable skills. It is important to crush the interview by talking about leadership, teamwork and showcasing your unique story. I am complimented weekly by different faculty on the clinic floor for my maturity, ability to communicate, hard work ethic, and team mentality. Those all were gained from my time in the military, so make sure your application shows that.
What advice do you have for vets that are considering dentistry?
The best advice I have is to find a mentor to help you through the process, understand the application process and understand how to market yourself. It may be tough to think about the transferable skills, but in reality there are so many skills that don't relate to dentistry that make you a successful dentist. You stand out in the application process and need to showcase this in your essay and interviews.
Veterans know how to work through difficult situations in a calm manner, assess the situation and make timely decisions. When you are treating a patient with severe tooth pain, you have the ability to be the calming presence who can understand the situation, make good quick decisions, and execute. You do this every day in the military, and as a dentist, your success skyrockets when you can do that in a clinical setting. There are several faculty dentists at my school who are great people, but have no idea how to make decisions in complex situations. I have been able to step into those scenarios and deliver excellent patient care simply because of my ability to manage the situation and make clear decisions.
What do you plan to do after graduation?
I have been accepted to the University of Minnesota Periodontal Residency program, and I am stoked to train to become a periodontist. I love surgery and the regenerative part of perio, and I cannot wait to join the dental field in a few years partnering with General Practice dentists to deliver the best care to patients.
Anything else you want to add? Thanks!
I really applaud the work that Allen is doing with this blog. We veterans are unique. Not better, not worse than anyone else - we just offer a different skill set that can make us excellent dentists. I hope we can continue to grow this community and I for one am always willing to chat with fellow vets who are interested in dentistry to help them get into school or help them in their dental careers. I run a dental application preparation service on the side (Dental Application Services) and I have helped many non-traditional dental school applicants get into dental school - many of them were on their second or third attempt before they found me. I offer a 20% discount to all veterans, just let me know when you reach out.
I also host a leadership and development podcast called Big Things Done as a way for me to share the lessons I’ve learned in leadership and in my life. I talk about my journey to dental school in a few episodes and also share the times I’ve failed to help others not make the same mistakes I did. Always appreciate my listeners and ideas for new episodes!
https://www.dentalapplicationservices.com/
https://bigthingsdonepodcast.com/