When a fire occurs in a client's room, what is the nurse's top priority?

In the event of a fire in a client's room, the nurse's top priority is to ensure the safety of the clients, which involves rescuing them from immediate danger. The primary duty of healthcare providers is to protect those in their care, particularly in critical situations like a fire. This aligns with the emergency response protocols typically taught in safety and infection control training, where the first action should be to evacuate patients or guide them away from the threat.

While sounding the alarm and extinguishing the fire are important actions, they come after ensuring that patients are safe. The immediate danger posed to clients means that the nurse must focus on rescuing them first, enabling them to move to a safe location away from the fire. This response ensures that individuals are safeguarded from harm while the necessary emergency measures are performed. Running for help can also delay immediate protective action, which is not effective in a crisis where seconds matter. Thus, rescuing the patient first is the correct and most critical response in this scenario.