In this scenario, a 6-year-old child had collapsed in the northwest Rochester park, had no pulse and wasn't breathing. A medical mannequin was used for the child, and an actor portrayed the child's distraught mother.

In all, with Mayo Clinic Ambulance staff and trainees, about 20 people took part in the training.

"What we like to see from our students in the program is how they're going to use in the field what they learn in the classroom and clinical setting," says Jeffery Schultz, program director and community paramedic.

The eight trainees in this group will graduate in May 2024. A new group that begins training later this month includes 20 students. Five of them are enrolled through the program's satellite operation in Duluth.

"We're encouraged by the increasing number of students who are enrolled, which will help address the critical shortage of paramedics in Minnesota and nationally," says Schultz.

This story originally appeared in In the Loop, an email newsletter and blog that gives a unique perspective on what’s happening around Mayo Clinic.