Standard First Aid and Advanced First Aid are different levels of workplace first aid training. In Alberta, the right level is not selected by preference alone. The Occupational Health and Safety first aid tables consider the hazard level of the work, the number of workers on shift and travel time to a health care facility.
Standard First Aid in Alberta
The Canadian Red Cross now uses the name Intermediate/Standard First Aid for this program. Alberta currently lists the Red Cross Intermediate First Aid and CPR C/AED course at the Intermediate First Aid approval level.
The program covers first aid, CPR and AED skills for workplace and general emergency response. It is commonly the course people mean when they ask for Standard First Aid, but employers should confirm the actual Alberta first aid level required for their worksite.
Advanced First Aid in Alberta
Canadian Red Cross Advanced First Aid develops more extensive patient assessment, treatment and ongoing care skills. Alberta currently lists Red Cross Advanced First Aid and CPR/AED Level C at the Advanced First Aid approval level.
Advanced First Aid may be required where the Alberta first aid tables call for an Advanced First Aider, or it may be selected by an employer that wants greater first aid capability for a higher hazard, remote or operational environment.
What Determines the Required Level
Alberta classifies work as low, medium or high hazard. It also considers how many people are working on a shift and whether the worksite is close to, distant from or isolated from a health care facility.
Those factors determine the number and level of first aiders required. This is why a course that is appropriate for one worksite may not be sufficient for another worksite with the same number of employees.
Where BLS Fits
Basic Life Support is separate from workplace first aid. Heart & Stroke BLS is designed for healthcare providers, trained first responders and healthcare students who need professional level resuscitation skills.
A workplace may need Standard or Advanced First Aid and also choose BLS for selected staff. Northline can coordinate both when the role calls for both credentials.
Planning Training for a Team
Start with the worksite, not the course catalogue. Review your hazard level, worker count per shift and travel time to a health care facility, then match the required training level. See our Workplace First Aid Training page or contact Northline to discuss the course options.
For a clinic or clinical team that needs BLS rather than first aid, see BLS, ACLS and PALS team training.