New ambulance simulator unveiled at West Tennessee Strawberry Festival Parade

Jackson State Community College (JSCC) publicly unveiled its latest addition to the School of Healthcare Professions, a state-of-the-art ambulance simulator, during the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival Parade. The simulator, pulled by the JSCC Police Department will allow the EMT-Paramedic program to expand to the college’s Lexington, Savannah, and Gibson County Centers.

“This simulator is as good as it gets,” said Kenneth Oxford, EMT/Paramedic Program Director. “Students are going to get hands-on experience using this simulator, preparing them for just about any scenario they will see during their clinicals and then after graduation. We recently added a cadaver lab to our arsenal of hands-on learning, and with this addition, I can confidently say we’re preparing our students for the workforce more than ever before.”

The simulator, a custom-built trailer from a specialty manufacturer out of Texas, is equipped and laid out in the same fashion as a real ambulance, allowing students to develop muscle memory in high stress scenarios. It will augment the classroom simulators currently on-site at the Jackson campus, allowing students at JSCC’s regional campuses the same learning experience without having to make the drive to Jackson.

Oxford and his team have already begun putting the simulator to use since its acquisition at the beginning of 2025, showcasing it at middle and high school career days at schools across West Tennessee.

The simulator was accompanied during the parade by JSCC President Dr. Carol Rothstein, Gibson County Center Director Sherry Channell, and Jax the Green Jay, reinforcing Jackson State’s presence in Humboldt and the Greater Gibson County to provide both an accessible and affordable higher educational opportunity West Tennesseans.

The EMT/Paramedic program is actively enrolling for the fall semester at the Jackson campus and regional centers, visit jscc.edu/emt to learn more.

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