First Aid & CPR Instructor

The Canadian Red Cross First Aid & CPR Instructor course focuses on the specific skills of the core Red Cross First Aid Program, and instructor candidates will learn to teach Emergency First Aid, Standard First Aid, Marine Basic First Aid, Emergency Child Care First Aid, Standard Child Care First Aid and CPR courses.

This is the full First Aid & CPR Instructor course, and includes Steps 1, 2 & 3 as outlined below. You will still need to complete a Teaching Experience before becoming fully certified.

Step 1: Evaluate skills and check prerequisites

Instructor candidates must be 18 years or older, have a valid Standard First Aid participant certificate, have successfully completed a First Aid & CPR Instructor skills evaluation with a Teaching Experience Supervisor or Instructor Trainer. If you do not have a Skills Evaluation Form to submit to your Instructor Trainer, you will also have to register for the First Aid & CPR Skills Evaluation.

Step 2: Fundamentals of Instruction

The next step in the instructor pathway is the Fundamentals of Instruction course, which consists of an 8-hour online module followed by a 2-day in-class module. Transfer Option 2:  If you are currently a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor, you may skip the in-class portion of this course - please check out the Instructor Transfer Option 2. 

Step 3: First Aid & CPR Discipline-Specific

The First Aid & CPR Discipline-Specific module consists of two days in class and microteach assignments that you'll receive ahead of time. Transfer Option 1: If you are already a Red Cross Instructor in another discipline (Wilderness or Professional Responder), you may skip this step - please check out the Instructor Transfer Option 1.

Step 4: Teaching Experience

The last step in the certification process is to complete a Teaching Experience online module (30-45 min) and a classroom component with the support of a Teaching Experience Supervisor.

Step 5: Certification

Once certified as an instructor, you will need to work with a Red Cross Training Agency to process participant certifications.