How Often Should You Renew First Aid Training: It is not enough to undergo a first aid training course only once in your lifetime. As time gohes by, skills fade, procedures change, and there is a need to stay up to date on the latest changes in first aid regulations and practices.
To ensure you remain competent and keep your skills updated, we recommend you take First Aid and CPR renewal courses.
Why Do First Aid Certificate Expire?
As comprehensive as first aid training may be, you will still need to do a refresher course after a few years for many different reasons.
One reason is the skills fade. There are high chances that you won’t be using the skills you learn during your training over the next three years.
With regular practice, you will likely remember some terms and procedures you have learnt before. When these skills start to fade, that can lead to some very serious situations.
Skills fade can lead to confusion and critical delays in emergency treatment.
Another reason is the continuous changes to first aid procedures over the years. In a few years after completing your last training, there may be newer ways of dealing with accidents and injuries.
Therefore, taking renewal and refresher courses (as per recommended) will enable you to maintain lifesaving skills even though you do not use them often.
How Often Should You Renew Your First Aid Certificate?
In Australia, it is recommended that all First Aid certificate be refreshed every three (3) years and CPR certificate every 12 months to ensure lifesaving skills stays current and up-to-date. First Aid in the Workplace is, in fact, regulated by the Government, following the guidelines of WorkSafe Australia.
In contrast, getting certified for personal reasons is optional by any regulations to be updated (although the same intervals of 3 years for first aid and 12 months for CPR are recommended).
Refreshing Your First Aid Certificate
For people required to attend the First Aid in the workplace course, renewal must occur every three (3) years from a registered training organisation.
The course must be nationally recognised to remain competent in the field and to stay informed on changes in lifesaving knowledge. If it has been more than three years since you completed your training, you must complete the HLTAID012 – Provide First Aid course again.
Refresh Your CPR Certificate
The process of providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) requires a specific skill set of chest compressions, rescue breathing, and the use of equipment like a defibrillator (AED).
These are skills that need regular practice to be able to perform and deliver at your best in times of emergencies. Therefore, the Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) recommends that the CPR qualification be renewed yearly.
Why Do You Need to Renew Your First Aid Certificate?
There are a couple of reasons to renew first aid and CPR certifications. These include:
Refresh Your Lifesaving Skills
Keep up your first aid and CPR skills up to scratch so there will be no hesitation to step up and help in an emergency.
Learn Something New
It is always a good idea to stay up to date with the latest practices and procedures in first aid. Three years after you complete the training, there are likely improvements and innovations in treatment options and equipment.
New medical advancements are constantly being made, which is why governing authorities advise first aiders to stay on top of all changes that might have occurred since the training.
Follow Legal Requirements
Once a first aid certificate expires, the employer may no longer meet the mandated statutory obligations under First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice (Safe Work Australia).
Stay Confident
It is one thing to know different first aid techniques and practice them on a manikin, but it is another to have the confidence to step in and apply them in real-life emergencies.
Attending a renewal training course ensures you act quickly and without hesitation during an emergency, which is vital when providing first aid.
It is absolutely essential for those who work in childcare and health care professions, even assigned workplace first aiders regardless of industry, to renew their First Aid and CPR certifications to retain their qualification.
Letting your certification expire will automatically result in losing registration status and all the rights and benefits that come with it.
How Do You Renew Your Certificate?
Now that we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions in a first aid course, including renewal and the importance of getting one, you are probably looking on what is the process to renew your First Aid and CPR certificate.
The process is now simpler and more convenient for students – certificates can now be renewed 90 days before the date of expiry, and the ‘new’ certificate will commence once the old one expires.
In today’s world where accidents and injuries happen on a daily basis, having lifesaving knowledge is priceless. Although not mandated by law, it is important to undergo first aid training every three years and CPR training every 12 months to meet workplace requirements and for personal peace of mind.
There is always the possibility of becoming rusty on the fundamentals of first aid a few months after completing the training. There is no time to figure things out or have outdated knowledge when dealing with emergencies such as shock, unconsciousness, severe bleeding, or cardiac arrest. Plus, it is vital that a first responder is always able to act promptly and without hesitation.
A first aid refresher course and CPR recertification are good ideas as they remind you of the key skills you need to brush up on every now and then.
First Aid Courses Tasmania offers a wide range of accredited, nationally recognised First Aid and CPR courses, including those required by law to provide First aid in the workplace.
For more information, visit our website or contact us at courses@firstaidpro.com.au.
