We’ve compiled a list of first aid instructor courses that are designed to equip you with first aid knowledge and help you become an effective first aid instructor. These courses will tackle the most crucial life-saving techniques, how to evaluate a scene, signs of medical emergencies, and more.
If you want to build a foundational knowledge of first aid, then SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s The Basics of First Aid course is the best place to go. It’s an immersive and detailed training solution with only six short lessons to minimize cognitive overload.
In this first aid instructor course, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how to give pre-hospital treatment to an injured person, at least until an ambulance arrives at the scene. It will teach you how to assess the scene, evaluate the emergency, and apply first aid as needed. There’s also a step-by-step guide on how to perform immediate care in various emergencies, like bleeding and shock, heart attacks, choking, seizures, and more.
Not only can you use this first aid training course to build your knowledge about first aid, but you can also use it as your own training material. Share it with your trainees to help them learn more about different life-saving techniques and help them understand the significance of learning such skills. Even better, you can use SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s course authoring tool to edit this course in case you want to add your own branding and personal first aid tips.
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
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Created By SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore this free courseTo be an effective first aid instructor, you must be fully aware of the first aid training requirements set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the organization in charge of protecting the health and safety of American workers. There’s no need to look further, SC Training (formerly EdApp)’s OSHA First Aid Training and Standards course covers pretty much everything you need to know about these standards.
This OSHA online training course guides you through the most vital OSHA standards, like the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) standard, first aid standard, and bloodborne pathogen standard. The next lesson contains a rundown of both non-life-threatening and life-threatening emergencies, as well as the process of conducting a risk analysis. Having a good grasp of this topic is especially crucial when deciding the right first aid treatment for emergency situations.
Additionally, this first aid instructor course delves into the process of performing various life-saving techniques like CPR and bleeding control. There’s also a specific lesson that goes through the supplies that should be included in a first aid kit. The course comes with a series of interactive slides, quizzes, and games to teach first aid.
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
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Created by SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore this free courseThis first aid instructor course comes with a series of online content and skill assessments that will help broaden your understanding of first aid. Here, you will learn about the fundamental first aid procedures directly from the Red Cross, a leading humanitarian organization with a reputation for volunteerism and relief to those in great need. It will also delve into the process of CPR and the right use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), an equipment used to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.
The only catch is that you need to have a pre-existing knowledge of first aid, CPR, and AED, as well as a certificate or anything equivalent before you can join this course. Plus, the format can be quite static as it lacks interactive elements.
Cost: Available upon request
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Created by Red Cross
Explore the courseThe NSC First Aid eLearning by the National Safety Council (NSC) is a great course to take if you’re planning to teach the basics of first aid to general employees. This training highlights the signs of medical emergencies that employees should be aware of. From there, you'll get to explore how to perform various life-saving techniques like controlling bleeding, treating life-threatening poisoning, cooling burns, and more.
A solid understanding of these topics will make sure that you can confidently teach your trainees how to provide first aid whenever needed. This first aid instructor course is 100% online and lasts about two to three hours.
Cost: 29.95 USD
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Created by National Safety Council
Explore the courseNational Health Care Provider Solutions (NHCPS), in partnership with the Disque Foundation, has put together a comprehensive course that can help you learn more about CPR, AED, and first aid in general.
This course consists of lessons tackling different medical problems, traumatic injuries, and environmental injuries and illnesses, and accordingly, how to assess and treat them. Additionally, it will explain the differences between adult, child, and infant CPR and AED, which is crucial if you're teaching first aid. There’s also a lesson discussing the unfortunate event of choking and how to give assistance in such situations.
Cost: 59 USD
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Created by Save a Life by NHCPS
Explore the courseAlison has also created a highly informative course called CPR, AED and First Aid. By taking this course, you'll gain the skills necessary to perform CPR and an AED and make sure that you’re confident as you teach it to your learners. This course discusses different medical conditions, traumatic injuries, and environmental illnesses, as well as how to treat them at least until professional help arrives.
The course will only run for 1-3 hours, which is perfect if you have a busy schedule. You can get an Alison certificate as proof of learning, although you will have to pay a small fee.
Cost: Free; paid certification
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Created by Alison
Explore the courseThis first aid instructor course by American Safety & Health Institute will teach you practical techniques that will help you to successfully train and educate your trainees in first aid. Interestingly, this course includes a detailed guide on how to properly explain first aid concepts and certain life-saving techniques. It discusses how to effectively perform skill demonstrations, conduct scenario practices, and organize small group practices. This course also contains some tips on how to accommodate a slow or disruptive type of student.
To pass this course, you need to take their written evaluation and get a passing score of at least 76%. There’s also a performance evaluation, which you will have to coordinate with them.
Cost: Available upon request
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Created by American Safety & Health Institute
Explore the courseIf you want to learn the basics of OSHA’s basic requirements related to first aid, then you’ll definitely find this first aid instructor course by 360training helpful. Here, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the elements that OSHA suggests should be covered in a first aid program. From there, you’ll get to discover the most important supplies that should be included in a workplace first aid kit. This course also includes a rundown of life-saving techniques that can be used in a variety of emergency cases, including choking, external bleeding, burns, poisoning, and more.
You only need at least one hour to complete this training. Upon completion of the course and its final exam, you’ll get a downloadable certificate that you can share with your colleagues or potential employers.
Cost: 14.99 USD
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Created by 360training
Explore the courseThe Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada also offers a great training course designed to equip you with all the fundamentals of first aid and help you succeed as an effective first aid instructor. Here, you’ll spend approximately 16 hours learning the right way to facilitate heart and stroke first aid. This course will also teach you how to administer immediate care to various emergency situations. While this serves as an introductory course for aspiring first aid instructors, it can also be used as a renewal course to keep your first aid skills and knowledge fresh and up to date.
Cost: Available upon request
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Created by Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Explore the courseSC Training (formerly EdApp)’s First Responders Psychological First Aid & Resilience is the best course to take if your job as a first aid instructor extends to teaching first responders. It’s also perfect if you’re involved in training those who regularly deal with stressful and traumatic events and are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This first aid instructor course will guide you through various PTSD early symptoms, types, and effects to help you better understand this stress disorder. You will also learn different psychological treatments for PTSD, like trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).
The key focus of this course will be the five elements of psychological first aid and the importance of constantly giving emotional safety and support to high-risk individuals. It will also talk about different coping strategies and some tips on how family members can help an individual overcome this mental health disorder. This course is designed for self-paced learning. You can access it through any device, including your desktop, tablets, and smartphones.
Cost: Free (up to 10 users)
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Created by SC Training (formerly EdApp)
Explore this free courseBeing a first aid instructor and having the chance to teach others how to save lives is a highly meaningful and rewarding experience. But this job is easier said than done. To excel in this field, you need to have a strong command of several life-saving techniques, so you can effectively pass them on to your trainees. Plus, you need to be familiar with all the basics of first aid to be fully capable of guiding your trainees. The good news is that all these skills can be acquired through first aid training.
You can check our list above to find the best first aid instructor courses and kickstart your journey as a first aid instructor. Some courses can also be used as a helpful guide should you need to quickly review the basics of first aid.