If you are looking to become an accredited first aid trainer or instructor there are several steps that you need to follow and certifications that you need to achieve first.
What does a first aid trainer do?
A first aid trainer is someone who delivers training courses on how to provide first aid, particularly in emergency situations. As a first aid trainer it will be your job to teach others how to perform certain procedures, such as CPR, and ensure that they are qualified to carry it out should the need arise.
What qualifications do you need?
According to HSE guidelines, first aid trainers need to be qualified both in teaching and first aid.
Teaching
In the HSE guidelines they have a table detailing which teaching qualifications you are able to possess to legally become a first aid instructor. This can range from degrees to awards and certificates. But whichever route you choose, you must have a teaching qualification.
First Aid
It may seem a little obvious, but you need to hold a first aid qualification to teach first aid.
A lot of first aid trainers will have a background in medicine, particularly nursing or emergency medicine, or the military. While this is a positive, it is not entirely necessary.
Ideally you will have a minimum of a valid FAW (First Aid at Work) and a valid FREC (First Response Emergency Care) qualification.
What do you need to know?
There are several things that as a first aid instructor you will be expected to know and keep up to date with. These include:
Staying up to date with treatment processes
If you are going to be teaching other people how to do something, it is imperative that you are giving out the correct, up to date information. To do this you will need to stay aware of any changes in policies and procedures, so that you can change your lessons accordingly.
The equipment and tools used in first aid
Similar to staying up to date with policies and procedures, you will need to be well versed in all of the equipment and tools that you are training other people to use. If a new piece of equipment has been introduced, you will need to learn how and when to use it.
What else do you need?
As with any job, there are several essential pieces of equipment and skills that are required to become a first aid trainer. These include:
Patience
Whenever you’re teaching someone something new it can require a good level of patience. They may not be able to grasp the concept straight away, but if you begin to get frustrated it will not help the situation.
Communication skills
You will be talking in front of multiple groups of people on a regular basis, so communication skills are incredibly important. During your training it is necessary to make sure that you are being understood and listened to so that there are no errors through miscommunication.
Be engaging
It is also important that you are engaging. As a first aid instructor you don’t want to see people getting distracted and struggling to focus on the material. It is your job to make the topic as engaging as possible so that they will remember it if they ever need to use it.
Teamwork
When working as a first aid trainer it is important that you are able to demonstrate good teamwork skills. This is especially important if you are working as part of a company because you will sometimes be working with other individuals to provide the training.
Assessment skills
You will be the person monitoring and assessing everyone who comes through the course.
A passion for teaching and first aid
You will need to be passionate about what you are doing. The more you love the topic and helping the members of your course learn, the easier it will be for them to do so. There is nothing worse than having an instructor who is bored of the topic at hand because that will affect those that have come there to learn.
Specific equipment
First aid instructors will also need to have access to equipment for the courses they teach. They would be expected to have mannequins, defibs and an epi pen so that people are able to practice the treatments they have learnt and see the equipment before needing to use it in a real-life situation.
Also, a laptop and projector are generally required for teaching the theory behind the procedures. This will help if you want to use media, such as audio clips or videos, to demonstrate certain points.
First aid trainer’s insurance
A common question is whether first aiders will need insurance when they are providing first aid, but do those who are training the first aiders need it? The brief answer is yes.
Most first aid trainers have insurance to protect them from liability. This is in case a student blames them for causing damage or harm, claiming that they were given the wrong information.
Read our other blogs for more information on first aid or contact us for further advice and information on our courses.