Dr. Dan Hammer: Experience as a Single Degree, Fellowship Trained, Head and Neck Surgeon in the Armed Forces

When looking for ways to finance his dental degree, Dan Hammer came across the Health Professional Scholarship offered by the Navy. His receipt of this scholarship formulated the trajectory of his career as an oral surgeon. Dan’s journey has involved treating war warriors as a GPR, completing a head and neck fellowship, and helping to develop the digital adaptation of the “jaw in a day” surgery. Following in the footsteps of many OMS pioneers, he has done all of this with a single degree, and he explains why he does not believe he is not disadvantaged by this fact. Although there are some tradeoffs to working in the military, there are also numerous benefits, and Dan openly discusses the pros and cons of his chosen career path in today’s episode. Dan also offers some valuable advice around getting as much exposure as possible to your fields of interest (no matter how trivial an activity may seem), listening to the opinions of other professionals (even if you don’t agree with them), and a key to optimal parenting! 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Why Dan joined the Navy.
• Dan’s experience as a GPR in Bethesda, Maryland in 2011. 
• What inspired Dan to do a head and neck fellowship. 
• Where Dan is currently working. 
• Some of the pioneers in the OMS field who had a single degree. 
• Legal and political elements of practicing surgery with a single degree.
• Benefits of working in the armed forces. 
• Dan’s first flap out of fellowship. 
• The collaborative multidisciplinary environment that Dan works in. 
• Compensation that Dan receives through working in the military. 
• A tradeoff that you need to accept when you become an active-duty oral surgeon. 
• The variety of procedures on which Dan spends his time. 
• Dan explains the “jaw in a day” surgery in more detail, as well as the “digital jaw in a day” adaptation that he and his team came up with.
• The value that lies in listening, and getting as much exposure as you can in your fields of interest.
• The correlation between Dan’s work and home life. 
• Advice from Dan around raising children. 
• Dan’s favorite quote: Comparison is the thief of joy. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Dan Hammer on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/drdanhammer/?hl=en 

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek — https://simonsinek.com/product/leaders-eat-last-book/ 

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink — https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs/dp/1250067057 

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins — https://www.amazon.com/Cant-Hurt-Me-Master-Your/dp/1544512287 

Dr. Grant Stucki Email — grantstucki@gmail.com

Dr. Grant Stucki Phone — 720-441-6059