I am very pleased at how well this suite is doing. The learning material covers the following QCTO curriculums
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There is a manual suite for each of these three programs that can be used separately; the three programs are not joined into one manual. They come as three separate and independent manual suites. However, the advanced level learner guide contains all the content from the preceding two levels because when we wrote the curriculum we specifically structured it to build on the foundation from level one (basic) to level three (advanced) first aid.
Each manual suite includes the following documents:
1. Learner guide: An A5 guide written in a self-learning style by Reuben Jensen, an accredited course writer. It is co-written and endorsed by Neil Kelham, vice chair Resuscitation Council of Southern Africa and owner of First On Scene.
2. Facilitator guide: This contains the same content as the learner guide so the facilitator can train from their own guide knowing what the learner has in front of them. It also includes facilitator training advice, tips, and suggestions written by an accredited and experienced facilitator. These are inserted at each section.
3. Assessor guide and POE (portfolio of evidence): The assessor guide doubles up as the assessment completed by the assessor, as well as the end result – the learner portfolio of evidence. Doing it this way saves the assessor time. Each outcome is addressed and the learner is deemed competent or not yet competent (with remedial for NYC). There is an assessment plan and a table of evidence collected. It is written by an accredited assessor.
4. Lesson plan: This guide contains a recommended classroom training schedule, and then time allocations for each knowledge and practical first aid IAC to help you ensure you are on track to set your course pace proportionately and as described in the curriculum. There are no workplace modules in this set of skills programs.
5. Assessments: QCTO requires that evidence of learning and competence for skills programs are recorded and presented for both formative / summative assessments, and the Final Integrated Summative Assessment (FISA). FISAs must be unique for each training provider. In the set you are supplied with questions and answers, templates, guides, and more to help you assess learners and find them competent or not yet competent, with evidence to present to QCTO, and advice on how to deal with QCTO compliance requirements.
6. Other documents are also supplied including:
Classroom / venue / training aids: Conducive to training (lit, ventilated, audio and visual equipment, etc.)
Facilitator / trainer requirements: For basic and intermediate, a facilitator that has at least three years practical work experience as a first aider and a SETA/QCTO registered first aid skills program that is higher than the one they intend to facilitate. For advanced they need HPCSA registration as a paramedic (or AEA, BAA and other relevant professional registrations).
Facilitator to learner ratio of 1:20, or the number of learners the classroom and facilitator can handle, whichever is less.
Equipment (overview)
Learner entry requirements as stated on the curriculum
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): HPCSA first aid professionals as listed on their website are higher and therefore are sufficient to achieve the three QCTO first aid skills programs via RPL. The learner will not have to attend any training but must still complete the FISA (summative assessment supervised by a QCTO accredited training provider accredited to train and assess this course). One could ask at this point if that is even necessary though, since their professions are already recognised. They are already ambulance and emergency care practitioners, assistants, practitioners etc. Will depend on why they need the course…
Yes, the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) recognises the QCTO aligned first aid under “FATO” (First Aid Training Organisation) endorsement. This means that a training provider who becomes QCTO first aid accredited needs to contact the department of labour inspector in their area for a site visit and endorsement of their QCTO accreditation. This is to satisfy the requirements of the General Safety Regulations section three under OHS Act regarding first aid competency and certification.
It was the intention of the curriculum developers, and also included in the development process of the learning material, that the first aid course be generic. To force specificity into the curriculum causes problems (such as assuming the training provider always trains a class of learners from the same industry).
To avoid confusion: when a treatment for a specific scenario is given it will be specific to that condition or the management of it. It must be to be accurate. But when it comes to listing possible treatments that may be needed in specific industries (e.g. many different kinds of chemical burns) the manual and curriculum remains generic (e.g. will address chemical burns in general). The training provider is free to address this in training. Training providers can add on programs and workshops to make the course specific, as long as they fully cover all the outcomes stipulated in the curriculum.
It is easiest to understand the three curriculums in the context of how they were developed. They were developed by a focus group of 10 people, mostly subject matter experts. I was a member of that group. We started with the advanced course and included in it everything the first aider needs to know and do to satisfy legislation and to be a useful first aider (especially in the workplace).
The intermediate and basic courses are the same curriculum but with coverage reduced, and therefore also the credits. The NQF level also decreases by 1 for each level (advanced to basic are level 4, 3 and 2 respectively).
With that understood here is an overview of what is covered:
1. Principles of first aid (about 10% of the course knowledge):
This covers the overarching purpose and principles of first aid, the role of the first aider, legal and ethical implications of first aid, as well as PPE and the safety of the first aider and the patient from on-scene hazards to hazards like possible cross infection.
2. Applied first aid (15 – 20% of the course knowledge):
This section is about how to do actual first aid at the scene, on a patient. It deals directly with scene safety and very basic hazard identification and risk assessment naming specific kinds of hazards (also see genericness). It deals with levels of assessment (primary, secondary, and other specific assessments) and reassessment over time. It also covers important subjects like effective handover, scene clean-up, communication with others, and effective action taken to preserve life, prevent further injury, and promote recovery.
3. Human anatomy and physiology (20 – 30% of the course knowledge)
It was agreed upon by subject matter experts that this foundational understanding of basic human anatomy and physiology was needed to better treat patients. The basic level covers half as many systems the advanced level does, so there is quite a difference in the coverage. Eg. All levels cover the respiratory, cardiovascular, integumentary, and musculoskeletal systems. Then as the course gets more advanced higher levels contain subjects like lymphatic system, immune system, as well as the anatomical position and related directional terms, surface anatomy and body cavities.
4. Recognising injuries and illnesses and providing first aid treatment (40 – 50% of the course knowledge)
This is where the rubber hits the road. This is directly about assessing a patient, and treating illness and injury. Importance of good assessment is emphasized because proper assessment leads to proper treatment and response. Basic life support and primary assessment are appropriately placed as highest priority. Airway, breathing, circulation and choking, controlling catastrophic bleeding, unconsciousness, shock, stroke, heart attack etc. We place first things first with decision charts and algorithms to follow for priority treatments that are within the SA accepted and promoted guidelines. Spinal injury is addressed according to updated and latest guidelines (this is mentioned as it is commonly not properly covered in first aid manuals). All three levels also cover secondary assessment, bleeding, burns, fractures, thermal stress (hyper and hypothermia), poisoning, bites and stings etc. Intermediate and advanced levels cover all this and add diabetic emergency, seizure, asthma, water emergency, emergency child birth and more. Please see curriculums for specifics.
Practical and knowledge are split 50& / 50%. The practical covers the same areas as knowledge but is more focused on section 4 above. It is recommended practical and knowledge modules are trained together. There are no workplace modules for these three skills programs. The practical modules were edited by the administrators at QCTO and HWSETA to be more individual outcomes than the focus group had written into the curriculum we developed, but this can be ‘fixed’ in the way it is trained and is addressed in the way the learning material has been developed.
Purchase the QCTO first aid learning material we supply here
