Did you know that First Aid & CPR certificates expire? It’s true! How often do you need to do First Aid training, though? If you complete your certification with the Canadian Red Cross, certificates are only valid for three years. With this in mind, it’s important to complete a Recertification course in order to keep your certification valid.
Once you become First Aid & CPR certified, your knowledge and skills allow you to help others during a medical emergency. How cool is that? Incidents happen on a daily basis and your training could help you save a life. Since this certification is only valid for three years, retraining will help you refresh your skills and learn new advancements in First Aid and CPR.
What Level of First Aid & CPR/AED Training Do You Need?
Whether your decision to get First Aid training and certification is for your employment needs or out of personal interest, once you complete the training, you have the qualifications to help others. Before deciding to take a First Aid course, it is good to know that there are two training levels.
According to WSIB rules, your employer may have to ensure you have completed one of the two levels of training. For example, in companies with up to 5 employees on a shift, one person needs Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED training. Then again, in companies with more than 5 employees per shift, one person must have the more advanced Standard First Aid & CPR/AED training.
If you complete the training because you want to help others in your home and community, the level depends entirely on you. It’s worth keeping in mind that both training levels will teach you how to help others in breathing emergencies. You also learn how to assist people with circulatory issues, help save internal and external bleeding, choking, and CPR.
With Standard First Aid, expect to learn about assisting people with spine, bone, and muscle injuries, poisons, and several medical and environmental emergencies.
How Long is the Certificate Valid
At Coast2Coast, both levels of First Aid & CPR/AED certificates, provided by the Canadian Red Cross, are valid for three years. Even though this feels like a short time, it is critical to refresh the techniques you have learned to ensure you remember how to use them in an emergency. Furthermore, researchers continue to discover new ways of assisting people in medical emergencies, and you learn these during retraining.
Learn What Level of First Aid & CPR/AED Training you need
Learn and refresh your skills to assist someone with your life-saving skills as you complete the course with us. Call our toll-free number to know more.
What are the Requirements to Enroll for a Recertification?
The most basic requirements for enrolling for recertification are:
- You must hold a Standard First Aid certificate from a full training course (not a previous recertification course)
- The certificate must still be valid (not expired)
- You must attend the full course
- You must score at least 75% in the test to ensure recertification with a 3-year validity
Therefore, enroll in a class before your certificate expires to ensure you qualify for the Standard First Aid & CPR/AED recertification.
You can only recertify a Standard First Aid Certificate once. When that expires after three years, you need to retake the full training course. Therefore, you alternate between the full training and recertification courses.
Holders of Emergency First Aid certificates cannot get recertification in Ontario. Therefore, you will need to retake the complete training.
What’s the Duration and Pricing for a Recertification Course?
Recertification helps to refresh your memory and skills, and most of the course focuses on hands-on skills required during an emergency. These include CPR, placing the patient in the recovery position, bandaging, etc.
The all-in-class Standard First Aid & Level C recertification training takes 8 hours. You require 100% attendance and a minimum score of 75% on the test consisting of multiple choice questions on your knowledge.
You can also take the Blended Standard First Aid Recertification Course. The duration includes 4 hours online and 4 hours in class. This format is only available for private training.
Once you complete the retraining, you immediately get a temporary certificate with a 30-day validity. Then, within 5 days, you get a PDF copy of your 3- years certificate via email.
You can also recertify CPR Level C certification with a 4-hour in-class training course or opt for the blended course of 2 hours online and 2.5 hours in-class training. You can recertify CPR/AED Level C more than once.
These training courses require full training because they don’t have recertification:
- CPR-A
- Emergency First Aid
Recertification Prices:
- In-Class Standard First Aid & CPR Level C Recertification: $89.99+HST
- Blended Standard First Aid & CPR Level C Recertification: $89.99+HST
- In-Class CPR Level C Recertification: $59.99+HST
- Blended CPR Level C Recertification: $59.99+HST
*These are prices as of September 21, 2022. Prices are subject to change in effect at the time of delivery.
Find Training Near You
Recertification is not simply a renewal; it’s also a method to continue learning and improving your professional expertise every day, ensuring you are always prepared to put your first aid training into practice when required. All First Aid & CPR training is valid for 3 years in Canada, and you can only recertify your Standard First Aid certification after alternating with a full training course.
Coast2Coast provides WSIB-approved First Aid training courses from Canadian Red Cross instructors to residents in several districts of Ontario. Find your preferred training center in Greater Toronto, Eastern Ontario or Western Ontario, and register for the correct training or recertification for your work or personal requirement.
