UT Tyler School of Nursing Hosts Helicopter Simulation Center Ribbon Cutting
Nursing Program Second in the Nation with Clinical Flight Simulator
TYLER, Texas (March 26, 2026) – The University of Texas at Tyler School of Nursing hosted the ribbon cutting of the new Helicopter Critical Care Transport Simulations Center, designed to train nurses and paramedics in the skill of critical care transportation. The program is the second medical flight program in the country with a clinical flight simulator — and the only one to train both nurses and paramedics.
“At UT Tyler, our mission is linked to the well-being of East Texas,” said Dr. Jenifer Chilton, School of Nursing dean. “In everything we do, we let the specific needs of our community guide our programs and 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.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 56% of East Texas’ residents live in rural areas — the largest percentage of any region in the state. With most of the population spread across thousands of square miles, having a highly trained flight medical crew is vitally important. Both nurses and paramedics in the program participate in simulations as a team, shadow onboard actual helicopters and complete a variety of clinical rotations. 
“As far as I’m aware, this is the only flight program in the nation that includes this depth of instruction and breadth of clinical rotations — and the only of its kind that trains both paramedics and nurses,” says Dr. Carlton Rojas, the UT Tyler School of Nursing critical care transportation education director. “This program will revolutionize the way we train our flight crews, throughout the region, the state and the nation.”
The two-semester continuing education program, delivered in a hybrid format, accepts paramedics and registered nurses. Students will participate in online lectures, exams, assignments and skills and simulation training. For more information, visit uttyler.edu/critical-care-transport or email CCTcourse@uttyler.edu.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.
