Continuing Education for Nurses to Help You Survive in The Last of Us

• Could you see yourself fighting the infected with Joel in “The Last of Us”?
• As a nurse, your skills would be needed more than ever, but this unpredictable situation would take some getting used to.
• In this article, we’ve highlighted continuing education for nurses that you could use to be an effective member of this catastrophic world and possibly impress the likes of Pedro Pascal.

Spoiler Alert: Do not read ahead if this show is still on your watch list.

Could you survive a day in the kill-or-be-killed world of “The Last of Us” if you were suddenly thrust into that post-apocalyptic drama? With no hospitals in operation and very few medical resources at your disposal, you would be forced to think of nursing in a new light. Even with Joel at your side, the constant threat of running into the infected would make caring for the sick or wounded a true test of anyone’s skills and abilities. Ethical lines will also be blurred, so knowing the right thing to do won’t always be easy.

If you’re already a fan of this Emmy award-winning show, these thoughts may have already crossed your mind. After all, who wouldn’t want to spend a day with Pedro Pascal, albeit under extreme duress? Let this article get you up to speed if you have yet to see this talented cast light up the screen.

Warning! Spoiler alerts ahead. “The Last of Us” is a TV show based on a popular video game of the same name and captivates you as much as it horrifies you. It’s set 20 years into the future after a worldwide pandemic caused by a fungal infection decimates society. The people who contract the infection become a living host for the fungus; while alive, they no longer control their bodies. FEDRA is the lawless law of the land, and the Fireflies are an opposition group to that brutal government. Citizens of this world are forced to live in quarantine zones ruled by FEDRA, and their lives are filled with cruelty, violence, and despair.

The main characters are Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey. We soon discover that Ellie is immune to the infection, and Joel must smuggle her to a distant Firefly camp.

Now that we’re all on the same page if you found yourself in this savage world, you would either lay low in a FEDRA camp or fight for freedom with the Fireflies (renewing your nursing license and remembering CE requirements will be a thing of the past). Whatever your choice may be, the fact remains that increased know-how would help balance out the constant disadvantage of waking up to horror every day. In this article, we’ll review the best evidence-based continuing education courses for nurses that could help you survive in “The Last of Us” should the need arise.

Suicide Prevention

Frank and Bill’s love warmed our hearts, and their shared happiness brought us joy. None of us were ready for the tragic ending they chose for themselves. On a similar note, the brotherly bond between Sam and Henry was touching. It was, therefore, a shock to see Henry take his own life after witnessing his little brother’s death. Yet, if we take a step back, all four of them live in a world with little to look forward to and many reasons to feel hopeless.

Suicide is never the answer, and as a nurse, it would be to your benefit to know how to help people who think they have nothing left to live for in a world that doesn’t give them any reason to doubt that idea. In our suicide prevention CE course, you’ll learn how to assess suicide risk, methods to reduce it, and how to intervene.

Visit our Suicide Prevention page to learn more about our continuing education for nurses.

Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Preeclampsia

Just because the world as we know it is destroyed doesn’t mean new life won’t spring forth. Limited resources mean that contraceptives may not be abundant, so babies would. Maternal care would be nearly non-existent; pregnant women would need your help. Understanding the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia would be useful.

While you may not have access to any of the medications mentioned in the course, knowing that severe headaches and vomiting are symptoms of this condition could lead you to find alternative treatment methods that may save lives. Remember, you would need to work with what’s left in this situation and make use all of your professional development.

Visit our Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Preeclampsia page to learn more about our continuing education for nurses.

End-of-Life Process  

Unavoidable death is one of the consequences of living with the infected, and the cruel truth is that not everyone may live to see another day. It would almost be a necessity for you to be able to care for the dying. While the end-of-life process differs for everyone, there are recognizable signs of decline. In this CE course, you’ll learn these phases and the basics of caring for someone dying.

While little is sacred in this hellish landscape, at least with this knowledge, you could comfort the people who call it home. We hope you never need to use this information for Joel or Ellie in season 2 of the show. (#WeNeedPedropascal)

Visit our End of Life Process page to learn more about our continuing education for nurses.

Infection Control and Barrier Precautions    

While there will be nothing you can do to curtail the spread of the cordyceps, knowing how to control other infections could still save lives. After all, helping others is one of the most important coins of this realm and learning that will make living in this world tolerable.

In this CE course, you’ll learn how to prevent the spread of pathogens and effective sterilization and disinfection methods. In “The Last of Us,” you may have limited PPE available, but this infection control knowledge could still be helpful.

Remember, Joel is a skilled smuggler who managed to get from Boston to Salt Lake City on grit alone. With that, you never know what the apocalypse may throw your way.

Visit our Infection Control and Barrier Precautions page to learn more about continuing education for nurses.

Non-Opioid Chronic Pain Management 

People live with chronic pain in today’s world, and in this post-apocalyptic fever dream, it would be worse because there would be little to no reliable access to medication. You may become a protected person if you know how to help people manage their suffering without drugs.

In the course, you’ll learn about self-care methods and complementary therapies that you could use to treat people with chronic pain. You’ll also learn about non-opioid medications should you ever come across those on the black market.

Visit our Non-Opiod Chronic Page Management page to learn more about our continuing education for nurses.

Pressure Injury Prevention, Staging, and Treatment   

Because of or despite the conditions of a world turned upside down, there may be people confined to their beds. Knowledge of how to professionally treat bedsores would still be valuable.

Joel was laid out for weeks when Ellie looked for help, which would have been the perfect time to use this information. In this nursing course, you’ll learn about the stages of pressure injuries, the risk factors for developing one, and how to treat them.

Visit our Pressure Injury Prevention page to learn more about our continuing education for nurses.

The Basics of Wound Healing  

In this desolate world, you may come across many wounded people. As a nurse, you might feel morally bound to help them even if you’re unsure that they’re infected. Knowing the stages of wound healing and what can impede the process would be a skill you could use almost daily. Remember, in end of the world situations, people just want help, they don’t care about certifications.

In this course, you’ll learn more about that, how to perform a wound assessment and examination, and how to medically manage everything. After you do all of that, you may want to test if your patient is one of the infected. If you notice any twitching, it may be too late.

Visit our Basics of Wound Healing page to learn more about our continuing education for nurses.

PTSD in Nurses 

In a post-apocalyptic world, there could be countless traumatic events occurring. Knowing the symptoms of PTSD and how to help people with this mental health condition would be essential knowledge.

While you probably won’t have access to any of the medications suggested in the CE course, you could use many of the coping mechanisms mentioned. For example, when Joel is worried about his brother, you could take him through a guided meditation or talk to him when he feels overwhelmed about Ellie.

In this course, you’ll learn about coping mechanisms and strategies to deal with PTSD. You’ll also know why mental health is vital for healthcare workers.

 Visit our PTSD in Nurses page to learn more about our continuing education for nurses.

The Bottom Line

Save who you can save. That’s the last thing Tess says to Joel before she succumbs to her fate, but those words are for you, too. Not everyone can be helped in “The Last of Us,” even if you wish that weren’t true. People would perish right in front of you no matter how many continuing education courses for nurses you complete.

Perhaps your day with Joel and Ellie won’t be too emotionally different from a typical day at work. None of us really control the destiny of those around us, and to believe that we can fix anyone is a bigger fantasy than anything put forth in the show.

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