A family sits in an emergency department waiting room, their four-year-old crying with ear pain, watching the clock as hours pass. When they finally see a doctor, the diagnosis is a simple ear infection - but the wait has been exhausting for child and parents alike. An elderly man with abdominal pain is triaged as urgent, moved quickly to a bed, and within an hour has scans and a diagnosis. The triage nurse's assessment determined his path. A woman with a possible stroke is taken immediately to treatment, the triage recognizing signs that demand no delay.