The Helicopter Critical Care Transport Simulation Center at The University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center is the second medical flight program in the country with a clinical flight simulator — and the only one to train both nurses and paramedics. The state-of-the-art “Heli-Sim” space gives participants the sense of treating critically injured patients from takeoff to landing. It is part of the continuing nursing education program at UT Tyler.
“THOT members like UT Tyler are the frontlines of education and training for physicians, nurses, and the many diverse professions that make up a modern healthcare workforce,” said Maureen Milligan, PhD, president and CEO, Teaching Hospitals of Texas. “UT Tyler’s Helicopter Critical Care Transport Simulation Center will provide the next generation of critical care nurses and paramedics essential hands-on experience in one of the most complex of care environments so they come out of school prepared and ready to serve communities across Texas.”
Simulation opportunities are particularly essential in air medical transport education and training because without it, the competencies needed “can take years to learn because of the inconsistency in real-world experiences,” according to researchers writing in the Air Medical Journal. They describe air medical transport as an “unstructured, uncertain, and often unforgiving” environment for which high-fidelity simulation can be instrumental for appropriate training.
“By launching this simulation center, we are not just advancing nursing education; we are directly responding to the unique geographic challenges of our region and ensuring that our neighbors in even the most rural areas have access to the highest level of critical care,” said Dr. Jenifer Chilton, School of Nursing dean.
Simulation is an integral part of UT Tyler’s educational curriculum. The School of Nursing has a simulation hospital to provide nursing students with hands-on experience and gradual increases in training intensity. The School of Nursing also was awarded a grant in May 2025 to support the development of a simulation curriculum for nursing faculty across Texas. The grant was part of the Nursing Innovation Grant Program established by the 88th Texas Legislature to support innovation in nursing education to increase the state’s nursing workforce pipeline.
