Dr. Tom Hermann Takes Nontraditional Route Into Medicine
Now, picture a middle-aged doctor. He proudly mans the emergency department during the annual Sturgis bike rally, but his “main gig” is family practice. The beard is now gone (along with most of his hair), but his eyes hold the same brightness that shined 40 years ago. Fueled by the same passion for politics and justice he had in the ’70s, his zeal is now directed towards caring for people. Rooted in a love for his home in West River South Dakota, Dr. Tom Hermann’s deepest desire is to protect the children of the next generation and care for the elderly in the community who raised him.
Hermann has taken quite a journey, from hatha yoga teacher to family medicine practitioner. Raised in Sturgis, South Dakota, and inspired by a World War II physician as his father, Hermann states that a career in medicine was always on the table for him, albeit on the backburner at times.
After graduating high school in 1968, Hermann left for St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, to pursue a degree in chemistry. There, he became involved with the student opposition to the Vietnam War, an experience he describes as “valuable in many ways of intellectual growth” but “detracting from my person and eventual pursuit of a career in medicine.” Still, his involvement opened various doors that introduced him to what he would later name as some of the most enriching aspects of his life.
“I was not a type-A student by any means,” he said. “But I found much to appreciate in the arts and literature, philosophy and religion areas.”
He also grew an appreciation of adventures and the outdoors, even becoming the president of the ski club at St. Olaf, a position that naturally came with a few blown off classes when the powder was particularly fresh.
After graduating college in 1972, Hermann moved to Minneapolis where he began taking yoga and meditation classes while working as an electromyography technician at the University of Minnesota. It was during this time that he met influential physicians who eventually became his medical teachers and mentors, such as Dr. George Flora and Dr. William R. Kennedy. However, Hermann’s journey in medicine was not quite ready to start. First, he was offered and accepted a full-time position teaching yoga in Chicago.
After teaching yoga in the windy city for the next few years, while also exploring a stint in vegetarianism that would last four years, Hermann decided that his true passion lay in teaching. He made the decision to return to South Dakota to pursue education classes at Black Hills State College, financially supporting his education through odd jobs in construction, landscaping and even learning how to build houses.
“At that point, I had given up on my dream of medicine,” Hermann said. But in the winter of 1978, his world “came to a screeching halt” as his life path suddenly clicked into place.
“I was awakened in the middle of the night with an inner voice that told me I should seek to be a physician,” he said. He admits that despite this being a childhood goal, he had surrendered it long ago, expecting to follow a different path. Through the guidance of Joe Massa, vice president at the University of South Dakota at the time, Hermann became a special graduate student.
Hermann attended the University of South Dakota School of Medicine where he said he met many of his dearest friends today. In 1987, nearly 15 years after first obtaining his degree in chemistry, Hermann finished his family practice training and traveled back to Sturgis to serve his childhood community as a physician.
When asked if the extra steps he took along the way to becoming a doctor made a difference, he said, “For me, it did.” He describes himself as “always distracted by the joys of living life,” stating his winding path provided him the focus and effort needed to become a physician. “It was not always easy, and I was not perfect along the way by any means,” he laughs. “I have been blessed, no doubt.
“My advice to those that find themselves as non-traditional students is to find strength in your knowledge of life,” he continues. “Use that as a complement to the scientific knowledge base of medicine. Your experiences will lead you to better listeners and better physicians in many ways. Perhaps even a bit older and wiser!
“The many different types of education and work taught me about hard work and the lives of others, and it has been invaluable to my knowledge and ability to relate to my patients, to listen, to guide, to know them as people and know them as friends,” Hermann says.
After 33 years of practice and four years of retirement, you can now find Hermann fly-fishing the rivers of the Black Hills, playing pickleball with his wife or skiing at Terry Peak with his two children – and maybe doing some yoga stretches in between.
This story was written by Rebecca Hofer and Cole Tessendorf, students in the USD Sanford School of Medicine News Group.
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