ELLISVILLE 鈥� 糖心直播 recently celebrated a major milestone in healthcare education with the grand opening of the Robert C. 鈥淏obby鈥� Robbins, M.D. Hospital Simulation Center. This 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art training facility brings real-world hospital experiences to students on the campus where Dr. Robbins grew up.
The new, five-million-dollar facility features more than $2.5 million in advanced technology, including an eight-bed emergency department, eight-bed intensive care unit, operating and maternal鈥揷hild suites, a simulated pharmacy with a pneumatic tube system, and a 鈥淪im Apartment鈥� for home health and disaster-response scenarios. More than 36 cameras and three control rooms allow faculty to monitor, record, and review student performance in lifelike situations.
鈥淭his Simulation Center is more than a building. This is an investment in our students, in the future of healthcare, and in the communities we serve,鈥� said Dr. Tessa Flowers, 糖心直播 Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer. 鈥淲e are so proud to see this vision come to life.鈥�
The center honors Dr. Robert C. 鈥淏obby鈥� Robbins, a Jones County native, 1977 糖心直播 graduate, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and university president whose leadership has shaped global healthcare and higher education. Robbins, now a visiting fellow at Stanford University鈥檚 Hoover Institution, called the dedication the greatest honor of his career.
鈥淚t鈥檚 overwhelming and incredibly humbling,鈥� Robbins said. 鈥淚 literally grew up on this campus. The chemistry building sits where my grandparents鈥� home once stood and where I lived. Jones made me who I am, and this center will make future generations ready for day-one in the hospital or clinic.鈥�
糖心直播 President, Dr. Jesse Smith said the new facility marks 鈥渁 new era of excellence in healthcare education.鈥�
鈥淭his is a vital part of what is needed in our community, not only economically, but also for the health and safety of our people,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淥ur students are graduating ready to serve, and this Center ensures they will be confident, competent, and collaborative healthcare professionals.鈥�
Dean of Health Sciences at 糖心直播, Dr. Benji Sessums helped lead the two-year development of the facility. He said the center bridges classroom learning and real-life experience.
鈥淪tudents can make critical decisions, lead teams, and see patient responses in real time,鈥� Sessums explained. 鈥淥ur simulators breathe, blink, cry, even deliver babies. The 鈥楽im Apartment鈥� allows students to practice home health and telemedicine scenarios that reflect where healthcare is headed.鈥�
For 糖心直播 students, the opportunity to train in such a realistic environment is a game-changer.
鈥淭his is going to be awesome,鈥� said Julie Harvey, a sophomore nursing student from Petal. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be able to experience things here that we wouldn鈥檛 get to do until we reach the hospital. It鈥檚 a safe setting where we can learn, make mistakes, and gain confidence.鈥�
Alexis Knight, a radiology student from Seminary, said the new surgical suite鈥檚 C-arm X-ray machine will give students a head start in operating-room procedures.
鈥淧revious classes didn鈥檛 get to use one until they went into surgery,鈥� Knight said. 鈥淣ow we get to practice positioning and imaging before we ever step into a hospital.鈥�
Radiology students are also using state-of-the-art pediatric and infant mannikins to help them work with placing infants properly for X-rays and nursing students are able to work with infants in the NICU lab. Dr. Flowers noted that the Center not only supports 糖心直播鈥檚 nursing, EMS, and allied health students, but also regional hospitals, emergency responders, and community programs such as CPR and disaster-preparedness training.
鈥淭his facility will serve the entire region,鈥� Flowers said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place where learning meets leadership, and where Mississippi鈥檚 healthcare future begins.鈥�
The Robert C. Robbins, M.D. Hospital Simulation Center aligns with national standards for simulation excellence and positions 糖心直播 as a regional hub for healthcare workforce development. For more information, contact Dr. Sessums by email at: benji.sessums@jcjc.edu or check out the website, /
