By James Coburn, staff writer
Registered nurse Charles Collins’ career path to the ER at Mercy Hospital Logan County’s ER is long and varied. He serves as clinical manager.
Collins was hired at Mercy Logan in June of 2025 after transferring from Mercy Hospital Watonga. He has a home in Crescent and wanted to work closer to home. In 1995 Collins joined the United States Navy as part of the Navy Hospital Corpsmen
Navy Hospital Corpsmen (HMs) are enlisted medical specialists for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps provide frontline healthcare, emergency trauma care, and daily medical support to sailors and Marines. They are highly trained in diverse fields, including laboratory, dentistry, and combat medicine, and are known for serving alongside Marine units. “We have a vast scope that we can work from,” Collins said. “While in the military I went through advanced, rigorous training, obtained paramedic certification.”
His last duty station (2000-02) was Fleet Hospital Five as the leading chief petty officer at the National Military Medical Center Naval Hospital in Bremerton, WA., with Navy Search and Rescue. He was responsible for the 490-plus individuals under him on the enlisted side, but also was the liaison with different nursing staff.
“We were the Golden Anchor recipients,” he continued. “I’d like to think that we did a really good job with what we were doing. We were recognized by the Navy specifically for being the best rated hospital during that time.”
When leaving the Navy Collins worked for EMSA as a parametric and a field training officer in Tulsa. He also worked at that time as a firefighter for the City of Owasso. He began flying shortly thereafter for Tulsa Life Flight, and MediFlight of Oklahoma.
“When they were doing their restructuring, I decided at that point it would be a good time to go to nursing school,” Collins said.
Collins is a nursing school graduate of OSU/Okmulgee with an Associate of Nursing degree before earning his master’s degree at the University of Puget Sound in 2023. Upon graduation he worked as a supervisor at the OU Health University of Oklahoma level 1 emergency department, located in Oklahoma City. He then applied at Mercy Logan ER and the rest is pure enjoyment.
“I think it is the comfort that it brings me to help someone,” Collins said.
He helped patients who had the usual slip, trip, and falls during the January arctic blast that plunged Oklahoma into sub-freezing temperatures with ice and snow.
“I think we stepped up to it. We knew we were going to have an issue, so before the snowstorm hit, we made accommodations for our staff to stay who lived at a longer distance,” he explained.
Collins said the hospital is lucky to have a great team of professionals who are organized and prepare lab and X-rays quickly.
“We have a great through-put, meaning from the time you check in until the time you’re discharged, it’s quicker than most other hospitals in this area. So, we don’t see a long line in our emergency department. The typical wait times here may be 10 minutes before you get a bed,” Collins explained.
Many events have inspired him as a nurse whether it be the gratefulness of a parent for the treatment of their child’s emergency and when keeping them posted of turning points.
“In the ER you see a lot of patients. You don’t always know what’s happened with them. You always hope for the best,” Collins said. “It’s always those patients that come back and say, ‘You made a difference, you helped me.’ I think that would keep anyone going.”
The response of emergency care is very fast paced. Paramedics focus on getting patients to the ER where the focus is getting them well.
“You adapt through patient contact; through years of service, you develop a gut feeling. On top of that we have volumes of continuous education. We have a lot of things to improve our understanding of why we do what we do,” Collins said.
Patient care leads patient care from best practices. However, events happen that are beyond any ER’s control. So, the nursing staff will debrief when times are rough.
“As clinical manager, that is something that we’re keenly aware of,” Collins said.
He may arrange a staff meeting for sharing their feelings and get resolution when things take a bad turn.
“We’re in there to do the best with what we have. And to be spiritual, I think God puts you in a place where He wants you to be,” Collins explained.
