First Aid, EMS, and Instructor Development courses taught by Paramedic Educators

“Emergency Health Care Education by Emergency Health Care Professionals”

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For over 27 years the paramedic educators at Priority Care First Aid have been offering First Aid, CPR, First Responder, Emergency Medical Responder, and Instructor Development courses.  

Our goal is to help learners become confident field providers, who provide exemplary patient care.  

At Priority Care:

 

The student experience is at the forefront of everything that we do

Priority Care First Aid is an organization that endeavours to fully support our students, from the time of registration through to the successful completion of their course (and beyond as needed).  We do this by providing value added supports like pre-course communication, course specific study guides, online practice exams, private tutoring, etc.  Our goal, right from the time that you register, is to facilitate your needs as a learner however we can.

 

We are EMS professionals, who are also college trained educators and curriculum designers

Education is at the heart of everything that we do, so it is important to us that we do it well.  To serve this goal, the instructors at Priority Care First Aid have completed numerous college / university level programs to strengthen their educational skills well beyond the minimum that is required.  

Priority Care First Aid is also one of three Red Cross Instructor Development Centres in the Vancouver area, and we are very proud to have supported instructor development here since 2003 by working right up to the Master Instructor Trainer level.  Additionally, the staff at Priority Care First Aid frequently serve as advisors and curriculum designers to the Red Cross and other professional agencies.

 

Industry wide partnerships and experience

Our educators are veteran paramedics, who have decades of experience working on 911 ambulances here in BC.  They also have experience in many other areas, including:

  • Working in a frontline educational leadership position for BCEHS (the provincial ambulance service), with direct involvement in research, curriculum development, and course delivery for paramedics throughout the province.
  • Teaching at the Justice Institute of BC (in the Primary Care Paramedic program).
  • Conducting First Responder, EMR and Paramedic exams.
  • Working as a WorkSafe BC First Aid Officer in support of the Occupational First Aid program.
  • Working as an Emergency and Operating room nurse.
  • Volunteering as a Search and Rescue Technician.
  • Consulting with various organizations and departments in support of their medical programs, including law enforcement, the fire services, the SAR community, and the military.

 

Nationally certified courses

All of our courses are developed by the Canadian Red Cross, one of  the leading developers of First Aid and entry level EMS courses in Canada.  Red Cross courses are updated frequently to ensure that they deliver the best standards possible, and they include a wide variety of digital and print materials to support the student’s learning.  

 

Clean, modern, air conditioned classrooms

In 2010 Priority Care First Aid formed a partnership with Valley First Aid in Langley, and we have run our public enrolment courses there ever since.  Valley’s Langley location is a large 4 classroom facility, beautifully maintained, and designed specifically to enhance the student experience.

If you are looking to take an Occupational First Aid course we highly recommend contacting Valley First Aid!

 

Public and private group courses available

We regularly offer public enrolment First Responder, EMR, and Red Cross Instructor courses in our Langley classroom.

We are also happy to bring these courses, as well as our suite of first aid courses (Standard First Aid, Emergency First Aid, CPR and Child Care First Aid), to your location upon request.

Send us a message, we would love to work with you!

 

At Priority Care First Aid we offer the following courses:

First Responder (formerly FR Level III with AED and Spinal):

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Are you interested in working as a professional first responder or firefighter? If so the Canadian Red Cross First Responder course is for you.

First Responders provide a vital link in the care of the ill and injured patient in the pre-hospital setting. First Responders are often the first professional health care provider that the patient may encounter, and provide invaluable care until emergency medical responders or paramedics arrive to provide more advanced care and transport the patient to the hospital.

In British Columbia first responders are usually firefighters, but also include police officers, search and rescue personnel, coast guard staff, and many others.

Upon succesful completion of our first responder course you will receive 3 year national first responder certification, certification in BLS level CPR, and will be eligible to examine with the British Columbia Emergency Assistant’s Licensing Board to obtain a license to practice in BC’s 911 system as a first responder.

Note:  All Priority Care First Aid First Responder courses INCLUDE your EMALB First Responder practical licensing exams at NO extra charge!

Click HERE to learn more about the First Responder course.

Click HERE to view upcoming course dates.

 

Emergency Medical Responder Bridging Courses (FR to EMR and OFA-3 to EMR Upgrading):

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Are you interested in a career as a paramedic, or interested in furthering your advanced first aid knowledge beyond the first responder or occupational first aid level? If so the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course is the right course for you.

Emergency Medical Responder is the base level of care provided by the BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) in rural and remote areas, and is the starting point for a career in paramedicine. In these areas Emergency Medical Responders provide a vital link in the care of the ill and injured patient in the pre-hospital setting, providing life saving aid and transportation to the hospital. Outside of paramedicine EMRs also work providing care at large public events, in the oil patch, for some fire departments and Search and Rescue organizations, etc.

EMR is also the pre-requisite to furthering your education in the paramedic field.

Upon succesful completion of our emergency medical responder course or EMR Bridging course you will receive 3 year national EMR certification, including certification in BLS level CPR, and you will be eligible to examine with the British Columbia Emergency Assistant’s Licensing Board to obtain a license to practice in BC’s 911 system as an EMR.

Click HERE to learn more about the Emergency Medical Responder Bridging course.

Click HERE to view upcoming course dates.

 

Canadian Red Cross First Aid & CPR Instructor Courses:

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Ever wondered how to become certified as a Canadian Red Cross First Aid and CPR / AED instructor?

Priority Care First Aid are leaders in the delivery of instructor development programs. Our Instructor Trainers and Master Instructor Trainers have decades of experience training new instructors and working directly with the Canadian Red Cross in areas such as course design.

We offer full instructor courses for new instructor candidates, instructor transfer courses for people who currently teach in another capacity (such as for The LifeSaving Society, St. John Ambulance, The Heart and Stroke Foundation, Water Safety programs, etc) and wish to transfer to the Red Cross program, and instructor recertification courses for existing Canadian Red Cross instructors.

Click HERE to learn more about the Red Cross Instructor Development program.

Click HERE to learn more about the Red Cross Instructor Recertification program.

Click HERE to view upcoming course dates.

 

Standard First Aid with CPR-C:

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Standard First Aid covers the assessment and treatment of life threatening conditions, as well as the more “day to day” inuries and illnesses you may encounter. Topics covered include peparing to respond to injuries, patient assessment, managing airway obstructions, managing common respiratory conditions (i.e. asthma), care of heart attack and stroke patients, CPR and AED use, controlling deadly bleeding, caring for shock, caring for head and spinal injuries, splinting, wound care, the care of sudden medical conditions, environmental emergencies, and poisonings.

This course is offered for groups of 8 or more.  Click HERE to book a group course.

 

Emergency First Aid with CPR-C:

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Emergency First Aid covers the assessment and treatment of life threatening conditions.

Topics covered include preparing to respond, patient assessment, managing airway obstructions, managing common respiratory conditions (i.e. asthma), the care of heart attack and stroke patients, CPR and AED use, controlling deadly bleeding, and the care of patients in shock.

This course is offered for groups of 8 or more.  Click HERE to book a group course.

 

CPR Certification and CPR Recertification Courses (CPR A, C, and Basic Life Support):

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CPR Level A and C courses cover the assessment and treatment of life threatening conditions. Topics covered include preparing to respond, patient assessment, managing airway obstructions, the care of heart conditions (angina, heart attack) and strokes, and CPR and AED use. These courses range from 4-6 hours in length.

The Basic Life Support course, with airway management and oxygen administration modules, is targeted towards health care providers who may be required to resuscitate patients.  The program is appropriate for paramedics, nurses, doctors, and other allied health care professionals such as respiratory therapists.  During the course you will learn how to perform high performance CPR in a team setting, using equipment found in the emergency health care setting.

Both CPR certification and CPR recertification (recert) courses are available.

This course is offered for groups of 8 or more.  Click HERE to book a group course.

 

Child Care First Aid with CPR-B:

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Child Care First Aid focuses on the care of pediatric patients. In this course you will learn about the assessment and treatment of life threatening conditions, as well as the more “day to day” inuries and illnesses that children encounter. Topics covered include preparing to respond, patient assessment, managing airway obstructions, managing common respiratory conditions (i.e. asthma, croup, epiglottitis), CPR and AED use, controlling deadly bleeding, caring for shock, the care of head and spinal injuries (including shaken baby syndrome), splinting, wound care, the care of sudden medical conditions, environmental emergencies, poisonings, the recognition of child abuse, and child safety.

The Child Care First Aid course is perfect for new parents, grandparents, child guardians, babysitters, daycare workers and early childhood educators.

This course is offered for groups of 8 or more.  Click HERE to book a group course.

 

Priority Care First Aid conducts First Aid, CPR, AED, First Responder, Emergency Medical Responder and instructor courses throughout the Greater Vancouver area (Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Langley, Cloverdale, Surrey, White Rock, Delta, Richmond, North Vancouver, West Vancouver) and the Fraser Valley (Mission, Aldergrove, Abbotsford, Chilliwack).

 

 

Testimonials:

“For the last 10 years Ian has taught courses for our SAR team in First Aid, Medical First Responder, ITLS, and many other medical topics.

Ian is a gifted teacher who brings his many years of experience as a paramedic into the classroom and who delivers content in a fun and very relatable way. Our members return from his courses with new found knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm, and a deep appreciation of their role in patient care.

On top of that, Ian has been extremely supportive of our team. First Aid is a key skill for all SAR members. We are lucky to have Ian. His training adds great value to our organization and to our community.”

Erica
Training Officer
Search and Rescue Team


 

“I want to commend you and your team of Instructors for the outstanding courses I attended at Priority Care First Aid. As a retired Paramedic returning to the practice of Paramedicine part time, coupled with being a volunteer firefighter and first responder, I attended both the First Responder and Emergency Medical Responder programs put on by Priority Care First Aid and I am completely satisfied with the training and hands on experience that I have received. Ian and his team bring decades of real life experience into the classroom, relating course content to real world emergency situations, which further aids in bridging course content to actual events where one may find themselves assisting the injured or ill. As a Deputy Chief of the local fire department in the Fraser Valley Regional District, I was so impressed with Ian and his group that I have arranged to have the fire department firefighters and first responders attend a First Responder program with Priority Care First Aid.

I highly recommend Ian and his team at Priority Care First Aid.”

Ken
Fire Department Deputy Chief
BCEHS Paramedic


 

“I have been a member of Search and Rescue for over 20 years, and have taken first aid courses since my teens. There is something special about learning and training with Priority Care First Aid.

Ian is effortlessly able to keep you engaged throughout the program with his charisma, stories and experience. Even with the most extreme scenarios we throw at him, his answers are clear, calm, and thoughtful… giving you confidence that you can respond correctly. This wisdom is then bolstered in the practical exercises securing your technical proficiency.

Ian creates a memorable and dynamic learning environment. You leave his skilled training knowing that when you are called upon to help someone you can deliver quality accurate care.”

Carla
SAR Team Member


 

“Ian attended our office in December, 2019.

Ian provided exceptional service to 6 of us who took his First Aid Instructor Course.
Ian’s personality, professionalism, limitless knowledge and teaching skills were at the forefront of a perfect week of learning.

Thank you Ian for your support before, during and after the course.”

Jason
RCMP Training Section


 

“Hi Ian,

I just wanted to thank you for today’s workshop and practical session. Your class ranks as one of the best (if not the best) first aid training sessions I’ve done since starting this stuff in the early eighties. Your knowledge and ease with which you offer it is quite remarkable.

As a retired classroom teacher, I often have an extremely difficult time being “presented to”, but today was definitely an exception. Thanks again, and I hope our paths cross again.”

James
SAR Team Member