Is online First Aid training valid?
Search for “First Aid course online” and you’ll find no shortage of providers promising a certificate from your couch. So can you get a valid First Aid certificate fully online in Australia? The short answer is no, not for a nationally recognised one. Here’s why, what can be done online, and how to make sure the certificate you pay for will be accepted.
Why First Aid can’t be 100% online
Nationally recognised First Aid units, like HLTAID009 Provide CPR, HLTAID011 Provide First Aid and HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting, each come with strict assessment requirements set out in the unit’s official documentation on training.gov.au.
These require you to physically demonstrate your skills. For CPR, that includes performing at least two minutes of uninterrupted single-rescuer CPR on an adult manikin placed on the floor, and two minutes on an infant manikin on a firm surface. Depending on the unit, you’ll also need to show you can:
- Follow the prompts of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to deliver a shock
- Place someone in the recovery position
- Immobilise fractures and sprains, and apply a pressure immobilisation bandage for a snake bite
- Manage an asthma attack and a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
A trainer needs to see you do this and assess that you’ve done it properly, on proper equipment. You can’t demonstrate effective chest compressions on a pillow in your lounge room, and that’s exactly the point. CPR is a physical skill, and the only way to know you can do it is to do it.
What can be done online: blended learning
The theory side of First Aid, such as how to recognise a stroke, what causes shock or how to treat a burn, can be learnt perfectly well online. That’s why many reputable training providers, including us, use blended learning:
- Online theory at your own pace, before your course
- A face-to-face practical session with a qualified trainer, where you practise the skills and complete your assessment
Blended learning makes the practical session shorter, so you’re not sitting through hours of theory in a classroom. At First Aid Today, our First Aid course is online theory plus 3.5 hours face-to-face, and our Childcare First Aid course is online theory plus 4 hours. Our CPR course is entirely face-to-face, and takes about 1.5 hours.
Red flags when choosing a First Aid course
Be careful if a provider:
- Says the course is 100% online and still promises a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment for HLTAID009, HLTAID011 or HLTAID012
- Asks you to film yourself doing CPR on a pillow, cushion or rolled-up towel
- Can’t give you an RTO number, or the RTO number they give you doesn’t match their name
- Doesn’t ask for your USI (Unique Student Identifier). Every nationally recognised result must be linked to one
- Offers a “certificate of completion” or “First Aid awareness” certificate, rather than a Statement of Attainment with the unit code on it
- Seems too cheap or too fast compared to every other provider
Online-only “awareness” courses aren’t necessarily bad. They can be a good introduction for personal knowledge. But they won’t meet workplace, childcare or industry requirements.
How to check a provider is legitimate
It takes two minutes:
- Ask the provider for their RTO number. It should be on their website and their certificates.
- Search for it on training.gov.au.
- Check the unit you need (for example HLTAID011) is on their scope of registration.
- Make sure the course includes a face-to-face assessment of your practical skills.
First Aid Today is RTO 45555. You can see all the units we deliver on our units page.
What happens if your certificate isn’t accepted?
If your employer, your childcare service or a regulator won’t accept your certificate, you’ll need to redo the course with a legitimate provider. That means paying twice and, in some jobs, not being able to work until it’s sorted. For childcare educators, a non-compliant certificate can also leave your service in breach of its First Aid requirements. See our guide to First Aid requirements for childcare workers.
The bottom line
You can do the theory online, but you need to attend in person to get a valid First Aid or CPR certificate. Choose an RTO with the unit on its scope, make sure there’s a practical session, and you’ll have a certificate any Australian employer will accept.
We run face-to-face sessions every week in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, with free onsite parking and certificates emailed the same day. Not sure which course you need? Read our comparison of HLTAID009, HLTAID011 and HLTAID012.