What do You do in First Aid Training?

First aid training courses vary, but they give participants the chance to learn important skills to confidently help people in emergencies. In Canada, there are several levels of First Aid training, including Emergency First Aid and Standard First Aid.

For individuals who are not redoing a course to maintain their certification, these courses are designed to offer complete preparation on various important aspects of first aid training, including CPR. What do you do in First Aid training, though?

What You Should Know Before Attending a First Aid Course

First aid training courses welcome everybody and teach you important life-saving skills, giving you the knowledge and confidence to deal with any type of emergency. Whether you need to learn the skills for your workplace or personal reasons, they prove invaluable training.

There are several techniques you can expect to learn from the course, and you need no prior knowledge to learn everything required to get your first aid certification.

Preparing For the Course

You may feel that the course will prove too challenging for you to take everything in, and may be tempted to learn a few things beforehand. However, you don’t need to do anything to prepare for the course, because if you choose a good Red Cross training partner, you will learn everything required and how to practice it correctly.

Wear Appropriate Clothing

At the course, you will participate in practical demonstrations, requiring you to kneel on the floor. We recommend you wear comfortable clothing and flat shoes. Read the requirements for the course you are interested in, because some disabilities may make it impossible for you to participate. You must be able to perform the hands-on skills to earn your certification.

Course Training

Depending on the course and the level you choose, there will be a mixture of practical and theory modules covered during the hours required to complete the first aid course.

You will learn to examine a victim, use a defibrillator, perform CPR, and how to control bleeding and trauma. These basic skills are important for you to deal with any potentially life-threatening situation until medically trained first responders arrive.

Students will learn how to treat scalds and burns, and assist someone who is choking. You will also be taught the importance of recording everything about the patient, and how to pass on this information to other responders. 100% attendance is required for the courses, and you need to get 75% or higher on your knowledge test. Your certification will be valid for three years.

Training Providers

All course instructors are Red Cross trained and qualified, with extensive experience in passing on their knowledge and skills to you. They keep their qualifications up-to-date in order to teach.

What About Free Courses?

You can take advantage of free first aid courses in your area, and they are great to help you learn a few basic techniques. However, these are only an introduction to first aid, and the things you will learn are limited. Therefore, if you want in-depth knowledge and the peace of mind that you passed an assessment, choose a first aid course that meets the latest teaching standards and first aid protocols. This way, you will be geared to offer the right assistance in any emergency. If you require an official certificate that’s WSIB approved, free courses will not meet this expectation.

Who Can Enroll in a First-Aid Course?

Anyone can enroll in first-aid training and CPR courses as long as they are able to perform the hands-on training and complete a multiple choice exam on their own. The American Heart Foundation even advocates children from as young as nine learn to perform CPR, even though they still don’t have the strength to perform adequate compressions on an adult. The skills learned at this age are easily retained for life, and can be used to save a life.

As adults, the type of course chosen will depend on if it’s needed to enhance your general knowledge to treat emergencies, needed for your workplace, or you want a career in first response or as a paramedic. You have to meet the particular course requirements and the course must be compliant with your local regulations.

What Can I Expect to Learn in a CPR or First Aid Course?

Whether you choose to take an all online, blended (with some online instruction), or a traditional instructor-led course, you will acquire the knowledge to save a life. For those participants who feel hands-on training is best, highly qualified instructors teach all the basics and use of the equipment. Course completion requires passing all levels of the course taken, and certificates are valid for up to three years.

Course Topics

The topics covered in the various first aid course include:

• Role of the first aider
• Check, call, care
• Identifying the signs of sudden cardiac arrest, stroke, and angina
• Understanding chain of survival behaviors
• Lowering infection risks
• Performing CPR/AED (Level C has additional training for children and infants)
• Compression-only CPR
• The importance of personal safety and standard precautions
• Steps to assess an unresponsive person
• Recovery position (including an unresponsive person)
• Treatment for a choking adult, child, or infant
• Assisting with medications
• Internal and external bleeding
• Caring for wounds

First aid certification courses are designed to teach you how to recognize most symptoms in medical emergencies and to treat people after various accidents or natural disasters. You also learn about the importance of offering help. You learn how to conduct an initial assessment in any situation, whether the individual is responsive or not. The training includes how to safely move injured people, and the importance of maintaining all the standard precautions, determining the best treatment, and offering the necessary protections.

What Do You Need to Do as a CPR or First Aid Provider?

The basic CPR and First Aid knowledge provide you with the skills needed to perform both CPR and First Aid. Depending on the course, you will learn to perform one-person CPR, rescue breaths and CPR, CPR with hands only, administering CPR as part of a team of two, and administering a shock from an AED.

On completing any First Aid course, certified individuals know how to:

• Control bleeding
• Handle someone with head, neck, or back injury
• Assess and treat limb injuries
• Respond to burns
• Treat minor injuries
• Identify and assess a patient when their mental status is altered
• Helping someone experiencing breathing difficulty or shortness of breath (also how to use an EpiPen)
• Respond to chest pain and discomfort
• How to control increased or lowered blood pressure
• Treating poisoning
• Respond to environmental emergencies like hypothermia or heat stroke.

Practicing Everything Learned in CPR and First Aid Lessons

All training is excellent, but the best way for someone to reinforce the course work is with hands-on training. Instructors have the opportunity to watch trainees, correct them, and review their First Aid and CPR knowledge.

Gaining the Confidence to Help

First aid and CPR training give you the knowledge, skills, and experience to help people in all types of situations with confidence. The training also teaches you about what boundaries you must maintain and to understand any limits in your abilities.

Ready to complete your First Aid training? Join us at one of our 18 locations in Ontario! We provide training multiple days a week for your convenience. Get registered now and gain the confidence you need to save a life.