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16 ARCHBOLD
MEDICAL CENTER
PHYSICIAN MENTORSHIP AT ARCHBOLD
Learningby doing
FOR MOST
teenagers, the summer
months, weekends and school breaks are
filled with recreation and spending time
with friends. Trent Griner’s time is spent a
bit differently.
Since 2013, Griner has spent his free
days (and some nights) in Archbold’s
emergency department (ED) working as
a junior volunteer. As a Brookwood High
School sophomore, he signed up to par-
ticipate in Archbold’s Junior Volunteer
program because he was interested
in medicine and thought the program
would be a great way to spend time in
a hospital and to be exposed to medical
careers.
But what started as a normal junior
volunteer assignment has evolved. And
now he finds himself in a unique situa-
tion where he has learned far more than
he ever thought possible.
In the right place, at the right time
“I’ve learned all about how the hospital
and emergency department works,”
Griner said. “I’ve learned about many
medical conditions and have memorized
the treatments for them. I’ve watched
Archbold doctors and nurses save lives
right in front of me.”
And those experiences, as well as a
bond Griner has formed with Archbold
emergency medicine physician Clark
Connell, MD, are what has led him to
pursue his true passion—emergency
medicine.
“Dr. Connell and I have a unique
relationship. He has become a mentor
to me during my experience as a junior
volunteer,” Griner said. “I have spent
over 200 hours in the Archbold ED,
and the majority of those hours have
been spent working with and learning
from Dr. Connell.”
Griner, who is a senior now, says
Dr. Connell uses every opportunity as
a teaching moment. And though some
of his lessons are simple, like when to
wear two pairs of gloves during a trauma
assessment, there are times the lessons
are a little more complex.
“One night, I worked a night shift—
10 p.m. to 7 a.m.—and at 1:30 a.m.,
Dr. Connell was teaching me how to
read an EKG,” Griner said. “He’s also
taught me how to read x-rays, MRIs, and
CAT scans and about countless medical
conditions and how to treat them.”
Dr. Connell says that when Griner first
came to volunteer and shadow in the
ER, he was immediately reminded of
his past experience, which made him
eager to share his prospective with
Griner.
“I can relate to Trent, because I was in
his same shoes,” Dr. Connell said. “Like
Trent, I decided I wanted to be a phy-
sician while in high school. There were
no physicians in my family, and I really
didn’t have any close connections to any
local physicians. Between my first and
second year at the University of Georgia,
I made some contacts with a few of the
emergency medicine physicians here
at Archbold, many who are actually still
here today.
“I was able to shadow the doctors and
volunteer in the ER when I came home
to Pelham for summer breaks. Their
graciousness and willingness to take me
in and show me their profession made an
impression. That experience confirmed my
decision to pursue medicine— specifically
emergency medicine—and that was
the biggest influence on bringing me
to where I am today. From that time on,
I wanted to be an emergency medicine
physician at Archbold.”
What really matters
Griner has learned much from Dr.
Connell, but says some of the most
important lessons he’s learned include