Code Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER

Nahvi, an emergency-room physician at Concord Hospital in New Hampshire, provides insight into emergency medicine by taking listeners along for one of his shifts. The emergency room is similar to a library, with both operating on the “everyone is welcome here” maxim. ER patients have the right to be treated until they are “stable” and can be released. Nahvi narrates the author’s note, and then the highly capable Aden Hakimi takes over, superbly depicting the chaos and uncertainty in the ER with a measured tone. Hakimi sensitively guides listeners through the ups and downs of a typical shift in a place where very little is typical. “Code gray” is the area outside well-documented and trained procedures. Nuance and analysis are key features, and Hakimi excels at helping listeners understand the medical ethics and personal decisions that make for skilled doctors. A moving work that asks listeners to pause, think, struggle, and consider different perspectives.