Triage Principles — NCLEX Cheat Sheet
Sickest survivable treated first
👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team
🕐 Updated 2026-07-11
🏷️ Management of Care
🔖 Free to read, print, and share
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Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent Triage Principles on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!
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- Red = immediate, life threat
- Yellow = urgent, delay ok ~1h
- Green = minor, walking wounded
- Black = dead/expectant
- Mass casualty → save most
- ER: airway/shock first
- Reassess often, conditions shift
- Disaster ≠ daily ER logic
- Tension pneumo, hemorrhage = red
✨Quick Tip
Conventional emergency triage treats the most critically ill or injured client first (emergent before urgent before non-urgent).
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