Mike Griffin ’24

Broken Bones. Stab Wounds. Brain Bleeds. These are just a sample of the situations Mike Griffin ‘24 responds to as a trauma nurse at Christiana Hospital in Wilmington, DE.

But for Griffin, a graduate of Pitt-Bradford’s nursing program, he knows he’s got what it takes: a passion for patient care and the knowledge to back it up.

Griffin’s decision to pursue nursing was sparked in high school, when he was part of a nursing technology program and earned his Certified Nursing Assistant license. This early exposure to health care cemented his desire to impact lives directly. "It just resonated so deeply,” he said. “I knew that this is what I wanted to do."

Griffin continued his passion for patient care at Pitt-Bradford, where his clinical work was both rigorous and eye-opening. Working with a wide variety of patients and situations on a daily basis gave Griffin a diverse range of experiences he hadn’t been exposed to before.

One huge benefit Griffin noted about his clinical experience at Pitt-Bradford was his work in rural health care. While pursuing his CNA license in high school, Griffin worked with a largely urban population and health care system. But thanks to his time at Pitt-Bradford, he was able to experience and learn from the rural health care environment on all fronts, from patient demographics to resource availability to cultural diversity.

Throughout his clinical work, Griffin’s care and compassion for his patients propelled him forward. And upon graduation, he was surprised to receive the ASN Clinical Excellence Award at his pinning ceremony. This award recognizes nursing students who exemplify the ideals and goals of nursing, and Griffin saw it as confirmation of his career goals.

"Receiving that award was really affirming that I was doing what I was meant to do," he said.

With his confidence, knowledge, and passion, Griffin now faces the intense and unpredictable nature of being a trauma care nurse. In his role, he cares for and educates patients who have experienced traumatic and often life-threatening events. Not only does he care for their physical wellbeing, but he also helps his patients recover mentally and emotionally from what might be the scariest moments of their lives.

Through it all, Griffin’s passion for his patients guides him forward, and he is thankful for the opportunity to provide the level of care and comfort only a nurse can. “I get to gratefully be able to experience it with them to make the process of healing a little bit smoother.”

Looking toward his future career goals, Griffin wants to be where patients need him most. As of now, he is considering becoming a flight nurse or an operating room nurse, both positions that demand top skills and patient advocacy. As Griffin said, these are situations where patient care and compassion are most critical, and he wants to be “in the thick of it,” doing all he can for those in need.