The practical art to triage emergencies

The author's practice uses signage to help set client expectations.

Gasping and cyanotic, a little dog is rushed into the hospital and you ask for it to be placed on oxygen. A moment later, an obtunded cat with a rock hard bladder is in your hands. You understand the problem, but before you can write an order, a dog that was hit by a car is on the table in front of you. His gums are pink, but his front limb is bent at an impossible angle. A tap on your shoulder draws your attention to a bright young Labrador with an ear inflated like a triangular balloon.

You are only one doctor and in the span of five minutes you have multiple emergency patients needing your help. Your team is waiting for your orders, eager to help, but needing your ...