Emergency Triage Practice 2025
Questions with Correct Answers
A hospital responds to a local mass casualty event. Which action should the nurse
supervisor take to prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty
event?
a. Provide water and healthy snacks for energy throughout the event.
b. Schedule 16-hour shifts to allow for greater rest between shifts.
c. Encourage counseling upon deactivation of the emergency response plan.
d. Assign staff to different roles and units within the medical facility. - ✔✔A
To prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty event, the nurses
should use available counseling, encourage and support co-workers, monitor each
others stress level and performance, take breaks when needed, talk about feelings with
staff and managers, and drink plenty of water and eat healthy snacks for energy.
Nurses should also keep in touch with family, friends, and significant others, and not
work for more than 12 hours per day. Encouraging counseling upon deactivation of the
plan, or after the emergency response is over, does not prevent stress during the
casualty event. Assigning staff to unfamiliar roles or units may increase situational
stress and is not an approach to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,A client who is hospitalized with burns after losing the family home in a fire becomes
angry and screams at a nurse when dinner is served late. How should the nurse
respond?
a. Do you need something for pain right now?
b. Please stop yelling. I brought dinner as soon as I could.
c. I suggest that you get control of yourself.
d. You seem upset. I have time to talk if you'd like. - ✔✔D
Clients should be allowed to ventilate their feelings of anger and despair after a
catastrophic event. The nurse establishes rapport through active listening and honest
communication and by recognizing cues that the client wishes to talk. Asking whether
the client is in pain as the first response closes the door to open communication and
limits the clients options. Simply telling the client to stop yelling and to gain control
does nothing to promote therapeutic communication.
A nurse is field-triaging clients after an industrial accident. Which client condition
should the nurse triage with a red tag?
a. Dislocated right hip and an open fracture of the right lower leg
b. Large contusion to the forehead and a bloody nose
c. Closed fracture of the right clavicle and arm numbness
d. Multiple fractured ribs and shortness of breath - ✔✔D
Clients who have an immediate threat to life are given the highest priority, are placed in
the emergent or class I category, and are given a red triage tag. The client with multiple
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,rib fractures and shortness of breath most likely has developed a pneumothorax, which
may be fatal if not treated immediately. The client with the hip and leg problem and the
client with the clavicle fracture would be classified as class II; these major but stable
injuries can wait 30 minutes to 2 hours for definitive care. The client with facial wounds
would be considered the walking wounded and classified as nonurgent.
An emergency department (ED) charge nurse prepares to receive clients from a mass
casualty within the community. What is the role of this nurse during the event?
a. Ask ED staff to discharge clients from the medical-surgical units in order to make
room for critically injured victims.
b. Call additional medical-surgical and critical care nursing staff to come to the hospital
to assist when victims are brought in.
c. Inform the incident commander at the mass casualty scene about how many victims
may be handled by the ED.
d. Direct medical-surgical and critical care nurses to assist with clients currently in the
ED while emergency staff prepare to receive the mass casualty victims. - ✔✔D
The ED charge nurse should direct additional nursing staff to help care for current ED
clients while the ED staff prepares to receive mass casualty victims; however, they
should not be assigned to the most critically ill or injured clients. The house supervisor
and unit directors would collaborate to discharge stable clients. The hospital incident
commander is responsible for mobilizing resources and would have the responsibility
for calling in staff. The medical command physician would be the person best able to
communicate with on-scene personnel regarding the ability to take more clients.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, The hospital administration arranges for critical incident stress debriefing for the staff
after a mass casualty incident. Which statement by the debriefing team leader is most
appropriate for this situation?
a. You are free to express your feelings; whatever is said here stays here.
b. Lets evaluate what went wrong and develop policies for future incidents.
c. This session is only for nursing and medical staff, not for ancillary personnel.
d. Lets pass around the written policy compliance form for everyone. - ✔✔A
Strict confidentiality during stress debriefing is essential so that staff members can feel
comfortable sharing their feelings, which should be accepted unconditionally.
Brainstorming improvements and discussing policies would occur during an
administrative review. Any employee present during a mass casualty situation is
eligible for critical incident stress management services.
A nurse cares for clients during a community-wide disaster drill. Once of the clients
asks, "Why are the individuals with black tags not receiving any care?" How should the
nurse respond?
a. To do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, it is necessary to sacrifice
some.
b. Not everyone will survive a disaster, so it is best to identify those people early and
move on.
c. In a disaster, extensive resources are not used for one person at the expense of many
others.
d. With black tags, volunteers can identify those who are dying and can give them
comfort care. - ✔✔C
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
Questions with Correct Answers
A hospital responds to a local mass casualty event. Which action should the nurse
supervisor take to prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty
event?
a. Provide water and healthy snacks for energy throughout the event.
b. Schedule 16-hour shifts to allow for greater rest between shifts.
c. Encourage counseling upon deactivation of the emergency response plan.
d. Assign staff to different roles and units within the medical facility. - ✔✔A
To prevent staff post-traumatic stress disorder during a mass casualty event, the nurses
should use available counseling, encourage and support co-workers, monitor each
others stress level and performance, take breaks when needed, talk about feelings with
staff and managers, and drink plenty of water and eat healthy snacks for energy.
Nurses should also keep in touch with family, friends, and significant others, and not
work for more than 12 hours per day. Encouraging counseling upon deactivation of the
plan, or after the emergency response is over, does not prevent stress during the
casualty event. Assigning staff to unfamiliar roles or units may increase situational
stress and is not an approach to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1
,A client who is hospitalized with burns after losing the family home in a fire becomes
angry and screams at a nurse when dinner is served late. How should the nurse
respond?
a. Do you need something for pain right now?
b. Please stop yelling. I brought dinner as soon as I could.
c. I suggest that you get control of yourself.
d. You seem upset. I have time to talk if you'd like. - ✔✔D
Clients should be allowed to ventilate their feelings of anger and despair after a
catastrophic event. The nurse establishes rapport through active listening and honest
communication and by recognizing cues that the client wishes to talk. Asking whether
the client is in pain as the first response closes the door to open communication and
limits the clients options. Simply telling the client to stop yelling and to gain control
does nothing to promote therapeutic communication.
A nurse is field-triaging clients after an industrial accident. Which client condition
should the nurse triage with a red tag?
a. Dislocated right hip and an open fracture of the right lower leg
b. Large contusion to the forehead and a bloody nose
c. Closed fracture of the right clavicle and arm numbness
d. Multiple fractured ribs and shortness of breath - ✔✔D
Clients who have an immediate threat to life are given the highest priority, are placed in
the emergent or class I category, and are given a red triage tag. The client with multiple
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2
,rib fractures and shortness of breath most likely has developed a pneumothorax, which
may be fatal if not treated immediately. The client with the hip and leg problem and the
client with the clavicle fracture would be classified as class II; these major but stable
injuries can wait 30 minutes to 2 hours for definitive care. The client with facial wounds
would be considered the walking wounded and classified as nonurgent.
An emergency department (ED) charge nurse prepares to receive clients from a mass
casualty within the community. What is the role of this nurse during the event?
a. Ask ED staff to discharge clients from the medical-surgical units in order to make
room for critically injured victims.
b. Call additional medical-surgical and critical care nursing staff to come to the hospital
to assist when victims are brought in.
c. Inform the incident commander at the mass casualty scene about how many victims
may be handled by the ED.
d. Direct medical-surgical and critical care nurses to assist with clients currently in the
ED while emergency staff prepare to receive the mass casualty victims. - ✔✔D
The ED charge nurse should direct additional nursing staff to help care for current ED
clients while the ED staff prepares to receive mass casualty victims; however, they
should not be assigned to the most critically ill or injured clients. The house supervisor
and unit directors would collaborate to discharge stable clients. The hospital incident
commander is responsible for mobilizing resources and would have the responsibility
for calling in staff. The medical command physician would be the person best able to
communicate with on-scene personnel regarding the ability to take more clients.
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3
, The hospital administration arranges for critical incident stress debriefing for the staff
after a mass casualty incident. Which statement by the debriefing team leader is most
appropriate for this situation?
a. You are free to express your feelings; whatever is said here stays here.
b. Lets evaluate what went wrong and develop policies for future incidents.
c. This session is only for nursing and medical staff, not for ancillary personnel.
d. Lets pass around the written policy compliance form for everyone. - ✔✔A
Strict confidentiality during stress debriefing is essential so that staff members can feel
comfortable sharing their feelings, which should be accepted unconditionally.
Brainstorming improvements and discussing policies would occur during an
administrative review. Any employee present during a mass casualty situation is
eligible for critical incident stress management services.
A nurse cares for clients during a community-wide disaster drill. Once of the clients
asks, "Why are the individuals with black tags not receiving any care?" How should the
nurse respond?
a. To do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, it is necessary to sacrifice
some.
b. Not everyone will survive a disaster, so it is best to identify those people early and
move on.
c. In a disaster, extensive resources are not used for one person at the expense of many
others.
d. With black tags, volunteers can identify those who are dying and can give them
comfort care. - ✔✔C
COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY GRACE AMELIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 4
