Emergency Nursing for the NCLEX: Triage and Rapid Assessment

Emergency Triage

Emergency triage assigns priority based on severity. The most common system uses 5 levels: resuscitation, emergent, urgent, less urgent, and non-urgent.

Primary Survey (ABCDE)

• A - Airway: Assess patency, jaw thrust for trauma
• B - Breathing: Rate, depth, breath sounds, O2 saturation
• C - Circulation: Pulse, BP, skin color, bleeding control
• D - Disability: Neurological status, GCS, pupils
• E - Exposure: Remove clothing, prevent hypothermia

Key Emergency Medications

• Epinephrine: Anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest
• Atropine: Symptomatic bradycardia
• Amiodarone: Ventricular tachycardia, V-fib
• Naloxone: Opioid overdose

Practice emergency scenarios with our Safe Care mini exams and review the Cardiac Disorders cheat sheet.