Patient encounters with healthcare often begin with emergency medical services (EMS).
Sometimes, that’s how future physicians start their healthcare journeys, too.
At least that’s the case for Jason Collins, a second-year student in the College of Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University.
Jason Collins on the field. Photo courtesy of Physicians Ambulance.
From Economics to Medicine
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who now lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Collins attended Case Western Reserve University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics with minors in biology and chemistry. After graduation, he spent time working in finance as an analyst for a hedge fund. While the work was intellectually demanding, he realized his long-term interests were shifting. Still, he credits his economics training for giving him “insights others might not have,” especially when thinking about healthcare systems and policy.
Jason Collins, right, consults with colleagues on the field. Photo courtesy of Physicians Ambulance.
His career interests began to shift toward healthcare before even graduating from college. In 2019, he obtained his emergency medical technician (EMT) license and joined the student-run EMS team at CWRU. He later volunteered as an EMT in Hudson, Ohio, and, in February 2020, joined Physicians Ambulance, which provides EMS, patient transport and event medicine services. That role opened doors to one of the most unique parts of his EMS experience: working on the field at Cleveland Browns games.
Now in his sixth season, Collins works three or four games a year on the offensive bench, primarily supporting tight ends and running backs. There’s only one golf cart allowed on the field—and he’s the one riding in it. “It’s fun,” he said. “I wasn’t a huge football fan before I started doing this, but when the players are excited, it’s exciting. You can’t help but pick up the energy.”
Jason Collins on the field at Huntington Bank Field. Photo courtesy of Physicians Ambulance.
Building a Career in Emergency Medicine
His sports medicine experience extends beyond football. He has worked stints with the Cleveland Guardians and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he served as an EMT on the set of the Superman film shot in Cleveland in the summer of 2024. During professional games and events, EMTs are responsible for the medical safety of players and referees, supported by an on-site ambulance crew for major trauma and, during Browns games, overseen by an ER physician and anesthesiologist from University Hospitals.
Becoming an EMT required six months of training, Collins explained. He broadened his clinical exposure through an emergency medicine rotation at University Hospitals. When it came time to apply to medical school, he chose just one: NEOMED. Emergency medicine is where he sees his future, and NEOMED felt like the right fit.
Jason Collins, left, with a colleague. Photo courtesy of Physicians Ambulance.
As a medical student, Collins is an active member of the Emergency Medicine Interest Group and serves on the College of Medicine’s curriculum committee. He was also selected as a “coater” for the White Coat Ceremony of the College of Medicine Class of 2029, helping the newest medical students get started on their professional journeys.
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