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First Aid Course: What to expect [Types of courses]

20th Aug 2021 by Alastair Farish

First aid is a life-saving skill that is taught to as many people as possible in order to prepare workplaces, public community environments, and even family gatherings, for unexpected emergencies. First aid is part of the chain of survival and “fills the gap” until the emergency services, paramedics or medical professionals can get to a scene, the ill or injured person. On successful completion of the course and having attended an accredited and recognized first aid course will empower and up-skill someone with valuable life-saving skills and knowledge.   

first aid course

Table of Contents

  • Overview of First Aid 
  • Types of First Aid courses 
    • First Aid NQF Level 1  
    • First Aid NQF Level 2
    • First Aid NQF Level 3
    • First Aid NQF Level 1, 2 & 3
  • Common First Aid Course Content
  • Conclusion

Overview of First Aid 

The word first aid means the provision of the first form of aid, care, or assistance to someone who is ill or injured – first aid! If you think about it, it is impossible to ensure that medical personnel is on every corner or household waiting for an emergency to occur in order to render immediate quick first aid or emergency care. Therefore it is important to have as many people trained with the community and workplace to try to ensure that someone is able to assist with important first aid treatment such as CPR, resuscitation, controlling bleeding and bandaging, etc. 

Due to the importance of first aid, the South African government has made first aid a legislative and legal requirement for all workplaces to have certified first aiders strategically placed through the working environment. This law is located in the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, in the General Safety Regulation 3 (4). 

The law required all first aid training to be conducted with approved Sectional Education Training Authorities (SETA) skills development providers – such as Absolute Health Services, which is fully accredited through the Health and Welfare SETA and the Department of Labour to provide all types of first aid training. Organizations and businesses must request their training provider to provide them with their accreditation certificates to prove that they are an accredited first aid skills development provider. Contracting or using the services of an unaccredited SETA training provider, would mean that the first aid training and certificates would not be recognized by the necessary enforcement authority such as the Department of Labour.      

types of first aid courses

Types of First Aid courses 

On the 4th June 2021, the Chief Inspector for Occupational Health Safety released a notice stating that all first aid training had to be National Qualifications Framework  (NQF) aligned, as per the skills development act – act no 37 of 2008. For first aid, this is controlled by the SETA’s which fall under the Quality Council for Trade and Occupations.     

There are three NQF aligned first aid courses with different unit standard numbers and different NQF levels and different course outcomes. However, they are very similar in content and cover a broad range of first aid course content such as basic anatomy and physiology, CPR, resuscitation, bleeding, bandaging, emergency scene management, strokes, asthma, anaphylaxis, epilepsy, heart attack, spinal injuries, unconsciousness, basic first aid skills to an advanced level. 

The three NQF aligned accredited first aid courses available and presented in South Africa, which are:

First Aid NQF Level 1  

Perform basic life support and first aid procedures

NQF Level 1      

SAQA ID: 119567 

Duration 2 ½ Days 

Cost: R845.00 ex VAT 

Specific outcomes for this course include:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of emergency scene management
  • Demonstrate an understanding of elementary anatomy and physiology 
  • Assess an emergency situation
  • Apply first aid procedures to the life-threatening situation
  • Treat common injuries

Absolute Health Services has SETA accreditation to present this course.

First Aid NQF Level 2

Provide risk-based primary emergency care / first aid in the workplace

NQF Level 2      

SAQA ID: 120496

Duration 2 ½ Days 

Cost: R845.00 ex VAT

Specific outcomes for this course include:

  • Demonstrate the principles of primary emergency care in the workplace
  • Sustain a basic level of preparedness for health emergencies in the workplace
  • Assess and manage an emergency scene in the workplace
  • Demonstrate primary emergency life support for adults, children, and infants according to current international protocols
  • Explain and manage shock
  • Keep records of the incident/accident

Absolute Health Services has SETA accreditation to present this course.

First Aid NQF Level 3

First aid as an advanced first aid responder

NQF Level 3

SAQA ID: 376480

Duration 5 Days 

Cost: R1,350.00 ex VAT

Specific outcomes for this course include: 

  • Explain the principles of advanced first aid in emergencies. 
  • Demonstrate an advanced level of preparedness to deal with a sudden illness or emergency. 
  • Assess and manage an emergency scene/disaster. 
  • Describe the anatomy and explain the physiology of the human body systems in terms of injury and sudden illness. 
  • Explain the causes of shock and the emergency treatment thereof. 
  • Apply primary first aid life support for adults, children, and infants according to protocols. 
  • Explain the causes of shock and the emergency treatment thereof.

Absolute Health Services has SETA accreditation to present this course.

First Aid NQF Level 1, 2 & 3

Advanced First Aid Responder – Skills Program 

NQF Level, 1 2 & 3 

SAQA ID: HW/SP/160004396A (HWSETA Skills Program number)  

Duration 10 Days 

Cost: R3,9500 ex VAT

The specific outcomes of this Health and Welfare SETA Advanced First Aid Responder skills program, include all the outcomes of the three SETA accredited NQF first aid courses listed above.  In addition to the 10 days of theoretical content, the skills program requires additional practical workplace exposure and experience, and supervision. The skills programs also require HWSETA assessment and verification to successfully endorse the delegates who attended the skills program. All first aid courses can be presented and facilitated anywhere in South Africa at a client’s premises or one of our training centres. Absolute Health Services has full SETA accreditation to present this accredited skills program. 

Common First Aid Course Content

All first aid courses include important and key First Aid theoretical knowledge as well as practical participation and demonstration such as: 

  • How to perform CPR, 
  • How to try to relieve a choking obstruction, 
  • Attaching and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) during CPR,
  • Placing a patient into the lateral recovery position, 
  • Contacting the emergency services, 
  • Performing ahead to toe secondary survey examination, 
  • Bandaging a bleeding limb, 
  • Applying a sling to a fractured forearm,
  • Treating a variety of different wounds and illnesses. 

Some of these practical skills need to be performed and assessed in order to confirm the competence of the first aid delegate. These critical first aid skills should assist first aiders in being able to keep a patient alive until the paramedics or emergency services arrive. There is also a written theoretical exam, often in the form of a  multiple choice exam. On successful completion of the course, delegates receive a first aid certificate, but it is advisable for delegates to also attend annual refresher courses in order to keep their practical skills up-to-date with the latest professional development and other new protocols that have been released.    

types of first aid conclusion

Conclusion

Organizations must ensure that they train their workforce in SETA accredited NQF aligned first aid training courses. This is now a legal requirement and the Department of Labour will only accept first aid certificates from a SETA accredited skills development provider, like Absolute Health Services, that offer NQF aligned first aid training.  

We encourage everyone to attend a  first aid training course and in so doing ensure that when an unexpected emergency occurs, that they are able to assist with rendering first aid to those in need and make a difference by possibly saving someone’s life!    

Category iconFirst Aid Training

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