Taking a tour of the Collin College Health Sciences Center with Jackie Langford, the director of Health Care Simulation, one can tell how enthusiastic he is about his work and students. He gets excited talking about the equipment the students use and becomes especially eager to show off the lifelike manikins that are medical patient simulators.
Simulation embodies Langford’s philosophy for teaching.
“The more interactive and more real we can make the scenarios for students, the better the learning experience,” Langford said.
Langford has been influential in the development and growth of the Health Care Simulation program at Collin College, and after 25 years, he is retiring.
“The students and the people are what I will miss the most from my time at Collin College,” he said.
Langford, a native of the Abilene area, began working at Collin College as a part-time instructor for the EMS program in 1997. Before arriving at the college, Langford was a firefighter and paramedic for 19 years, working first for the Abilene Fire Department and then the Addison Fire Department.
While at Collin College, he also served as the EMS clinical coordinator. Then one day in 2006, Langford said the EMS program coordinator at the time asked if he would apply for the new Health Care Simulation director position.
“I said, “Sure! What’s simulation?” he said jokingly.
Langford said he was excited about the opportunity and started his research. Health Care Simulation, or Clinical Simulation, is a modern way to educate and train health care students to master cognitive, technical, and behavioral skill sets through advanced, crafted experiences. Students can practice essential skills and gain confidence without fear of harming a patient.
After doing his research, Langford said this new position was a dream come true because it involved a hands-on approach to teaching.
“Some of my favorite memories from my time at Collin College are watching the students using the equipment and seeing in their eyes when they finally get it. It’s an amazing thing to witness,” Langford said.
Langford was a fine arts major at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene and concentrated on ceramics and sculpting. Because of his art background, Langford was able to bring his creativity to this job as well.
He first learned about moulage, the art of applying mock injuries for the purpose of training emergency response teams, at an EMS conference. He took what he learned and did more research. And through a lot of trial and error, Langford brought that knowledge back to Collin College and used it during the EMS Trauma Day events.
Trauma Day is a long-running event for the EMS program. Students from nursing, respiratory care, surgical technology, diagnostic medical sonography, and others participate in the event.
Creating mock injuries helps the students perceive the scenarios as real so they can interact in a realistic environment and respond accordingly.
Langford said he is a firm believer that God has directed his path. He has been able to use everything he has learned from every job he’s had for this career.
“I’ve truly been blessed to be in this position. It hasn’t been a job for me – it’s been my lifestyle,” he said. “I’m very fortunate that Collin College leadership trusted my vision and allowed me to create and develop this program. It’s been one of my life’s biggest joys and privileges.”