Different first aid training courses cover different needs. If you plan to be a dedicated first aider at your workplace or you are required to be certified in order to attend your school program or work, you must understand the different levels of first aid. Every workplace and school program is different. You will be required to figure out what level of first aid training is needed at your workplace.
First aid and CPR/AED training can prepare you to deal with any life-threatening situations until an ambulance arrives at the scene. First aid saves lives. One example: A person can die within minutes of having a heart attack. CPR increases their chances of survival by offering life-saving interventions until emergency medical services arrive on the scene. Other medical emergencies that require first aid knowledge include choking, diabetes, blood loss, electric shocks, allergies, and chemical poisoning.
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First Aid & CPR/AED Training Levels
There are two different levels of first aid and CPR/AED training courses offered here at Coast2Coast. Each of these courses covers various life-saving topics, one more in-depth than the other.
Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED Level C
Emergency First Aid & CPR/AED Level C is our shortest first aid course, usually recommended to people who work in a low-hazard environment where there are few people present. Some professions that require Emergency First Aid and CPR training include security guards or some office staff. An Emergency First Aid course teaches the basic skills required in an emergency, including CPR and AED training. In addition to CPR and AED, students will also learn about life-threatening bleeding, heart attack, stroke, choking and more! Students may complete an Emergency First Aid course in eight hours. After completing and passing the course, you will receive a certificate which is valid for three years.
Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C
Usually, people who work in high-hazard environments, including factories, construction sites, etc, are required to complete a Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C course. This is the most popular first aid training course. Since it is a higher level of training compared to Emergency First Aid, this is the course our staff typically recommends for students to complete if they are unsure which level they require Standard First Aid offers an in-depth understanding of first aid treatment and will either include CPR.AED Level A or Level C certification. Courses at Coast2Coast include CPR/AED Level C only.
A Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C certificate covers all of the material in an Emergency First Aid training course, but will include additional topics. Additional topics include: environmental illness, poisons and more! During the course, which is traditionally held over two days (16 hours), first aiders are taught to deal with:
- Readiness to respond to any emergency
- Victim management using the 3 Cs of emergencies (check, call, and care)
- Victims of choking
- All circulation emergencies (strokes, heart attacks, and victims with excessive bleeding)
- Injuries of the spine, neck, and head
- Caring for wounds, burns, etc, and how to bandage/care for them
- Asthma and anaphylaxis emergencies where the patient struggles to breathe
- Environmental emergencies caused by weather extremes
- Emergency treatment for people who have ingested or inhaled a poison
- Dealing with dangerous insect and animal bites and stings
- Sudden medical emergencies like diabetes
- Assist someone with bone, joint, or muscle injury
Standard First Aid and CPR level A
A Standard First Aid course, with CPR level A certification, usually takes 13 to 14 hours to complete over two days. The certificate lasts for three years, and the recertification course takes approximately seven hours. You are only able to recertify once, then you must complete the full training course again.
Once you have completed this course, you are ready to offer first aid to victims of any emergency, but will not have experience in applying CPR/AED to infants and children. Why is this? CPR/AED Level A only provides training on adult victims. This is the ideal certification if you require standard first aid training for your workplace, or want to be prepared to deal with any adult emergencies.
Standard First Aid and CPR level C
The Standard First Aid course, with CPR level C certification, is also usually a two-day course and lasts about an hour longer than the course with CPR Level A certification. Students may also register for an Online Blended format of the course. The Online Blended format is split between an online and in-class session, shortening the amount of time required in a classroom.
With the Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C training, your certificate is also valid for three years, after which you must complete an eight-hour recertification course if you wish to keep your certificate valid.
When the recertification expires, a full course must be re-taken for it to be valid. This means that you must alternate between the full course and a recertification course. Once you have completed a Standard First Aid course with CPR level C, you are prepared to deal with any emergency, whether it involves an adult, child or infant.
In both cases, recertification ensures that you are brought up to date with any new ways to help people in emergencies and help refresh your memory.
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CPR/AED Training Levels
Not only are there different levels of first aid, there are also different levels of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training courses. People tend to misunderstand what each CPR level entails. Let’s discuss these levels below:
CPR/AED Level A
CPR/AED Level A training is taught to students who wish to learn how to assist unresponsive adults only. This training is one of the more basic courses we provide (but still extremely informational!). Candidates are also taught to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) and will learn about heart attack, stroke, life-threatening bleeding and more. These courses are mostly aimed at people who need to learn emergency skills for their workplace where only adults are present such as personal trainers.
CPR/AED Level C
The most common CPR training course is CPR/AED Level C. Here, the candidate is taught to apply cardiopulmonary resuscitation to adults, children and infants. CPR/AED Level C includes AED training as well. The primary difference between CPR C and CPR A is that students will learn how to perform CPR, use an AED and assist with choking for children and infants in addition to adults. The techniques used for CPR and AED training differ from adult to child to infant. It is important to follow certain rules and techniques when assisting with an unresponsive person, regardless of age.
Other CPR/AED courses
CPR/AED Level B is a course that only covers CPR and AED for infants and children. Many people do it in combination with a Childcare Emergency First Aid course. This course has been phased out of Canadian Red Cross training in Ontario, so it is recommended for students to simply enroll in the CPR/AED Level C course instead.
One final level of CPR training is called Basic Life Support. This course used to be known as CPR-HCP, but has been updated as of April 2019. Basic Life Support (BLS-HCP) is a highly specialized CPR course taught to nurses, paramedics, firefighters, emergency room staff, etc. This training was developed specifically for healthcare professionals and must be taken once a year. Since healthcare professionals have a life-saving role in society, it is important for them to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date.
This training is much more intensive compared to CPR A or CPR C. The skills learned during Basic Life Support training include techniques to open the airway, team CPR, pulse checks and other advanced resuscitation skills. The Basic Life Support course is a four-hour training which provides students with a certificate valid for one year.
In addition to this course, students can complete Airway Management and Oxygen Therapy. This two-hour training is important for healthcare professionals who require skills to open airways (such as oropharyngeal airway (OPA), nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) or supraglottic airway (SGA)) and provide oxygen to their patients.
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Why the Different Levels of First Aid are Important
Understanding the different levels of first aid and CPR is necessary because you may be required to attain a specific certificate for your workplace or school program. Without the correct certificate, you will not be able to work or attend your classes. It is important to clarify this information with your place of employment or your school program director before registering for a training course.
At Coast2Coast, we may be able to suggest a course/courses you should enroll in, but our recommendation may not be correct and we cannot be held responsible if you enroll in the incorrect course. If you have any questions regarding your training, please be sure to reach out to us via email (contact@c2cfirstaidaquatics.com) or by phone (866-291-9121) and we will do our best to assist you.
If you wish to learn more about the various training levels, be sure to check out the links provided throughout this blog. Each link provides information such as course content, length of training and more!
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