How many hours is a 3 day first aid course?

Three days sounds vague until you put a number on it, so here is the number and what fills it.

Aim2Aid Ltd is run by Rebecca Sullivan, with in-house trainers who are never outsourced and over 50 years of combined experience between them; whether you need first aid courses and training or first aid training in Milton Keynes, we cover the whole area.

Call 07771 680794 to talk through whether the three day course or the one day option fits your staff.

How many hours is a 3 day first aid course?

A three day first aid course runs to around 18 hours of training, made up of roughly six hours on each of the three days. That is the standard First Aid at Work length, and the certificate it leads to is valid for three years from the date the course is completed.

The three day course is the full First Aid at Work qualification

When people ask about a three day first aid course, they are almost always asking about First Aid at Work, usually shortened to FAW. It is the longer of the two workplace qualifications and it is the one an employer books when the risk assessment points to higher risk work, more complex premises or a larger number of staff on site at once.

The reason it takes three days is simple. There is more to cover. Alongside the life saving basics, FAW takes in a wider range of injuries and illnesses, more scenario practice and more assessment. Six hours a day across three days gives the time needed to teach it properly and to let every delegate actually put hands on a manikin rather than watch someone else do it.

Whether you need first aid courses and training or first aid courses and training in Reading, we cover the whole area, and the FAW course runs to the same 18 hours wherever your premises happen to be. We deliver at your own site, which keeps your staff on the payroll and out of travel time for three days running.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) sets out in its first aid guidance that the level of training should follow from what your workplace actually needs, so the three day course is not automatically the right answer for every business. It is the right answer for plenty of them.

What those 18 hours actually cover across the three days

The hours are not padding. A three day FAW course works through the responsibilities of a first aider, assessing an incident, the primary survey, an unresponsive casualty and CPR, use of a defibrillator, choking, shock, seizures, bleeding and wounds, burns, fractures and spinal injury, head injuries, sudden illness including heart attack, stroke, asthma, diabetic emergencies and anaphylaxis, plus record keeping and reporting.

Each day builds on the last. Day one tends to be the emergency life support core, day two moves into injuries and illnesses, and day three brings the whole thing together with scenario work and the practical and theory assessments. Delegates who complete all three days and pass the assessments hold a three year certificate.

Whether you need first aid courses and training or first aid courses and training in Windsor, we cover the whole area, and the course content is the same because the qualification is the same. Our trainers are in-house, never outsourced, with Rebecca leading them, and between them they bring over 50 years of combined experience into the room. Our first aid courses are accredited by FAIB.

How the three day course compares with the one day option

The shorter workplace qualification is Emergency First Aid at Work, or EFAW. That is one day, about six hours, up to 12 delegates, and it also carries a three year certificate. It covers the emergency essentials rather than the fuller injury and illness syllabus of the three day course.

So the practical difference is 18 hours against about six. Many lower risk workplaces, offices, shops, small sites, are properly served by EFAW. Higher risk settings, or businesses that want their first aiders to handle more without hesitating, go for the three day FAW. Some businesses run both: a couple of FAW trained first aiders and a wider group of EFAW trained staff so there is always cover.

One thing worth knowing for your workplace: our EFAW course includes a paediatric element at no extra cost. If your staff deal with children as well as adults, that is covered inside the same day rather than being a separate booking.

• Three day FAW: around 18 hours, roughly six hours per day, three year certificate.
• One day EFAW: about six hours, up to 12 delegates, three year certificate.
• Requalification: both need renewing before the three years run out.

Blended delivery can cut the classroom hours without cutting the qualification

Three full days off the floor is a lot for a small team to absorb. Blended delivery is an option worth asking about. The theory is completed online in delegates' own time, and the practical element is delivered at your venue, so the on-site hours come down while the qualification and the three year certificate stay exactly the same.

It suits shift patterns, split teams and businesses that cannot lose the same people for three consecutive days. The same option applies to EFAW, where the practical runs at your premises alongside the online theory, still one day, about six hours, up to 12 delegates, still a three year certificate.

What blended does not do is remove the hands-on part. Compressions, recovery position, bandaging and defibrillator use have to be practised and assessed in person. That is the bit that sticks, and it is the bit that matters if someone on your staff ever has to use it.

Aim2Aid Ltd is based in Berkshire and works across Berkshire and surrounding areas, delivering at your premises rather than asking your staff to travel. If you are weighing up 18 hours against six, or wondering whether blended would fit your rota better, Rebecca Sullivan and the team will talk it through in plain terms before you commit to anything.