You might think that when it comes to First Aid Training one size fits all, thats not the case, in fact there over 10 different First Aid Courses available.
So what are the most popular and whats the difference between them? Lets start with the most popular First Aid Course, the 1 Day Emergency First Aid at Work Course.
The 1 Day First Emergency First Aid at Work course is designed for individuals that have a specific responsibility for first aid arrangements within the workplace i.e the provision of basic first aid. The course includes a range of Emergency First aid situations, including choking, shock & bleeding. The key difference between this course and others is that it covers ’emergency situations’ it does not cover areas such as assessing incidents.
The most likely route of progression from the 1 Day First Aid course is the 3 Day First Aid at Work course. Perhaps the most obvious difference between these first two courses is that the 3 day course has an extra 2 days! This results in a greater depth of information being provided during the course including areas such as assessing incidents, spinal injuries and anaphylaxis. The 3 day course is generally the route adopted by someone wanting to classed as the ‘nominated first aider’. Both of the above courses require refresher training, which is designed to provide any updates since the candidates last course and refresh their overall knowledge.
Another First Aid course available is the Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid. The QA Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF) has been specifically designed to meet the criteria set by the Department for Education’s EYFS Framework and is ideal for those who have gained a level 2 and/or level 3 childcare qualification and have entered into an early years setting and wish to be included in the staff to child ratios to comply with EYFS requirements. Or for anyone who has a non-professional involvement with infants and children, such as parents, grandparents and want to learn key paediatric first aid skills.
These 3 courses are not exhaustive lists when it comes to first aid training, you can also get first aid training in specific areas such as life support, forrestry first aid and Mental Health First Aid.