06/25/2026
Eighteen years after graduating from Internal Medicine residency, I’m reminded how much collaboration shapes great care.
One of the greatest privileges of my career has been working alongside exceptionally knowledgeable, professional, and collaborative Emergency Medicine physicians.
As a nocturnist, there are moments when patient care requires all hands on deck.
Over the years, I have called on my Emergency Department colleagues for:
🔹 Difficult emergency intubations on the medical floor when the on-call anesthesiologist is the middle of another procedure in the OR
🔹 Assistance with life-threatening torrential epistaxis on the telemetry unit
🔹 Collaborative management of severe hemodynamic instability following ketamine infusion
..and more. A lot of clinical scenarios.
Almost every night, we exchange ideas, discuss challenging cases, and the best antibiotic regimen before the Infectious Disease team or sub-specialist sees the patient in the morning.
Last night was another reminder of why collaboration matters.
Medicine is a team sport. The best patient outcomes happen when physicians communicate, support one another, and combine their expertise—especially during the night shift, when resources are often more limited and critical decisions cannot wait until daylight.
To my Emergency Medicine colleagues: thank you for your partnership, your accessibility, and your unwavering commitment to patient care. I appreciate you.
Chinyelu E. Oraedu, MD
Board-Certified Internal Medicine Physician
Academic Hospitalist | Nocturnist
