Provide first aid (includes CPR)

First Aid training for students under 18 

Students under 18 years of age are welcome to take part in any of the First Aid training offered by QAS. However, it should be noted that, due to the nature of First Aid training, some coursework contains images of a graphic nature and involves discussion about severely injured or deceased patients. All students are expected to take part in simulated First Aid scenarios, some of which may be considered confronting in nature.

If you are under the age of 18, you must:

• obtain the permission of a parent or guardian to attend

• have your parent or guardian complete the Parent/Guardian Consent Form and Student Enrolment Form

In addition, students under 16 years of age must have an adult accompany them to the course. The accompanying adult can attend the course as a paying course participant or be present in the course as a parent/ carer chaperone.

The reason for adult course permission and accompaniment for under-age students is due to the nature of some course content which includes graphic images of wounds or body trauma as well as detailed verbal references to body parts and injury. This content matter may be offensive or unsettling to some people, including children.

QAS recommends 14 years of age as the minimum age for students enrolling in First Aid courses. It is also worth keeping in mind that a very young person may have insufficient strength in their arms and shoulders to depress a mannikin to achieve competency in CPR.

Physical ability

The ability to perform certain physical tasks is a requirement of many First Aid units. For example, performance of CPR skills requires students to:

“Perform at least 2 minutes of uninterrupted single rescuer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) (5 cycles of both compressions and ventilations) on an adult resuscitation mannikin placed on the floor.”

In cases where a student is unable to meet the physical requirements to competently demonstrate required skills, the QAS RTO can have the course participant attend the training and issue them with a Statement of Attendance rather than a Statement of Attainment. This approach enables the student to gain some important First Aid knowledge.

If you do not have the ability to perform resuscitation and/or another physical element of First Aid to the required performance standard, you should discuss your training requirements with QAS RTO before enrolling in a course.

Pre-requisites

Licence or accreditation 

In accordance with the Code of Practice – First aid in the workplace, refresher training in CPR should be carried out annually (every 12 months) and first aid should be renewed every three years.

Photo identification

Prior to the commencement of your course, you will be required to present photo identification to your instructor for sighting.

If you cannot provide acceptable photo identification on the day, your instructor will not be able to confirm your authenticity before performing a task and will not be able to determine your level of competency.

The below 6 forms of hardcopy ID are acceptable.

• a photo ID card

• an Australian driver licence or learner permit

• a foreign driver licence

• a passport from any country

• a recognised proof-of-age card

• an Australian student ID card issued in your name with your photo or signature from a secondary school, TAFE, university or Registered Training Organisation. You can only use this if you’re under 18 and don’t have any of the other documents.

We also accept forms of ID in a digital version. These include:

• the Queensland Digital Licence app

• the Australia Post Keypass identity card (Keypass in Digital iD™)

• the South Australian digital driver licence, which is available through the MySA GOV app

• the New South Wales Digital Driver Licence

The ID document must be current and include a photo of the person and their date of birth.