In late August 2024, Taylor Clayton and Julia Riordan, physician assistant students at the University of South Florida (USF) Health, responded to a medical emergency while on a study break. The two students, who had been in the PA program for three months, were walking along the Tampa Riverwalk near the convention center when they saw a crowd near a tour bus. A man had collapsed, and bystanders were unsure how to help.
Clayton and Riordan, identified by their medical scrubs, were called over by the crowd. Although they were still students, they assessed the situation and found the man had no pulse. They began CPR, alternating chest compressions. Clayton retrieved an automated external defibrillator (AED) while Riordan continued CPR.
After several minutes, the man’s pulse returned and he regained consciousness, though he was confused. Emergency medical services arrived soon after. The students assisted until paramedics took over. The man’s wife arrived at the scene, and the students returned to their studies…