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First aid training questions?

I've got a couple question relating to first aid training.


1. I've got CPR certification and in the course, we went over AED stuff, not for certification though. If AEDs are so easy to use, why are there certification courses for them? What do they cover in the course, its really straight forward, isn't it? You do what the machine says, right?

2. How long/much $ are AED courses?

3. What more do BLS courses cover than CPR/AED courses? Don't CPR/AED pretty much cover basic life support?

4. How long are BLS courses, how much $, and is there an age requirment?

5. Just curious, how comprehensive are EMT-B (Basic/1st level etc) courses, how long, and how much?
I'm in New York.

Public Comments

1. 1. Certification is needed due to liability. It's pretty simple. However, there are some real idiots in the world.

2. If you are in the health profession shop around, you should be able to find one for free. Alternatively, you can be reimbursed. Sorry, I don't know how much they would cost where you are.

3. They cover a few more things, not a lot, but it probably looks better on a resume or whatever.

4. Not long. I took mine in a couple hours. I think you have to be 18 but it might be 16, again, I don't know where you live.

5. I got mine in one semester from a community college. It was a double-credit course, though. It cost the same as any college credit, a few hundred. It was pretty comprehensive as far as covering what you need to know in first aid, a lot more information than BLS, but also pretty straightforward. I found it very easy.

2. 1. There is no AED certification. It is incorporated into CRP courses.
2. See above
3. BLS courses (I assume you are speaking of EMT-Basic courses) cover MUCH more...childbirth, shock, spinal immobilization, ect.
4. You can get your EMT-B at 18. They are very affordable at your local community college.
5. You can get your EMT-B in about 3 months.

3. 1. Certification simply means that you learned a skill enough to demonstrate competency to an instructor. The main reason you need to be certified is to satisfy an employer who wants it mostly because OSHA, their insurance company, a different certification board, or someone wants it.

2. AED certification, which is usually a part of CPR nowadays, runs about 1 hour and costs about $30 in most places- but it is cheaper and faster to do it in the CPR class.

3. BLS also includes checking the scene, assessing a conscious or unconscious victim, summoning advanced medical care, dealing with shock, dealing with conscious choking victims, and often dealing with things like stroke, troubled breathing, etc.

4. BLS means different things to different certification programs, The Red Cross' version is 'CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer', runs about 6-7 hours, and costs, I believe, about $70-80. We will teach it to lifeguards, which is probably about 16.

5. EMT-B runs about $150-300 and takes about 80-90 hours in most places. Most programs require you taking your BLS somewhere else first.

Another, less well-known option is 'first responder', about a 20 hour course often taken by police officers, non-EMT firefighters, rural responders, emergency staff in large places, etc. Again, most of these classes require you to take BLS somewhere else.

Yet another option if you want to learn about first aid without an ambulance behind you, are classes for first-aid or medicine 'afloat', in rural areas, or in the wilderness. These classes are less regulated, but can be a lot of fun! 'Wilderness first-aid' is a common title.