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Information for course participants

A volunteer demonstrates first aid to a group of students
A volunteer demonstrates first aid to a group of students
Home Information for course participants

All the information you need to know before, during and after your course.

Before the course 

How we confirm your booking

Once you've booked and confirmed payment for your course, we email you a course confirmation of your booking to the email address you have provided. 

The course confirmation email includes the address of your training venue and the time your first aid course starts as well as other important information. Please take the time to read this.  We will remind you about your course one week before it starts.   

If you have booked a hybrid course, we will send a separate email with your login information to our online learning platform, 30 days prior to your course date. Please check your junk mail if you have not received this or contact us to resend.  

Online learning 

Before you attend the face-to-face component of your hybrid course you must complete your online pre-course learning activities: 

  • Login to our online learning platform. We recommend doing so on a laptop or PC, but the platform does allow tablet/mobile use.  
  • Allow enough time to complete your pre course learning.
  • For Comprehensive First Aid – Hybrid: allow up to 6 hours.
  • For Essential First Aid – Hybrid: allow up to 4 hours.
  • For First Aid Revalidation – Hybrid: this online course may take up to approximately two hours. This timeframe depends on your current first aid knowledge and how you do in the module pre-tests or if you look at specific modules in more depth.
  • We recommend completing this at least 48 hours before the course starts.

During the course 

Course rules and regulations 

  • Please arrive 15 minutes before the course begins to complete enrolment. 
  • Courses involve demonstrations and scenarios which may involve contact with others. Talk to your instructor for other options if you are uncomfortable with personal contact.  
  • Only enrolled students can attend the course.
  • Set your mobile phone to silent and refrain from using your device while the class is in session.
  • Instructors may request disruptive participants be removed from the course when it is fair and reasonable to do so. In this case, the participant will be given the opportunity to put their view forward first.  Instructors may, at their discretion, offer that participant the opportunity to complete the course with another instructor.  

Physical fitness

Our face-to-face courses are practical and involve groupwork. You’ll need to show the tutor that you are physically able to perform key first aid tasks in simulated emergency situations. You must be able to kneel on the floor to perform CPR. If you are unable to do this long enough for the tutor to assess competency, you may not meet the requirements for a New Zealand Red Cross First Aid Certificate or the unit standards (if applicable). This requirement is not applicable to our Mental Health and Psychosocial courses.

Assessments 

  • All NZQA course assessments are undertaken by New Zealand Red Cross registered instructors. 
  • The accredited course certificate is only issued after full attendance and completion of all assessments. 
  • To complete the certificate, students who have missed any modules or assessments may do so by re-sitting the relevant modules and re-attempting any outstanding assessments. These must be completed within three months of the original course date.  
  • Each assessment may only be attempted a maximum of three times. All assessment material will be kept by New Zealand Red Cross for moderation purposes as required by NZQA. 
  • For New Zealand Red Cross Certificates and New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) credits, participants must successfully complete the required assessment.  

After the course  

You will receive your first aid certificate via email within approximately five days of your course. Please ensure you have provided us with a valid email address. We will also include a survey to help us improve our first aid courses.  

How long does a first aid certificate last?  

A first aid certificate lasts two years.

For courses with a revalidation requirement, we will send you two reminders before your certificate expires – three months and then six weeks before expiry date. 

Courses that require revalidation are:

  • Comprehensive First Aid
  • Essential First Aid
  • First Aid Revalidation.