Victoria Advanced First Aid (OFA Level 3)

As a certified OFA Level 3 First Aid attendant you will be eligible to be a designated first aid attendant for most busy, high risk worksites - even if your worksite is more than 20 minutes travel to a hospital. If your worksite is more than 20 minutes travel to a hospital, then OFA Level 3 is the appropriate certification for these types of worksites. Some people with OFA Level 3 certification get hired specifically to be on-site first aid attendants, especially higher risk worksites where the job may be combined with other safety related tasks as a full time position. OFA Level 3 first aid attendants will sometimes take on this role in addition to regular work duties, often with additional pay or benefits. Being a certified Level 3 first aid attendant can definitely boost your employability! OFA Level 3 First Aid attendants learn and practice assessment, critical interventions, transportation, and secondary assessment and treatment for seriously injured workers. This is a full two-week (80hr) course compared to Level 2 which is only one-week (40hr). OFA 3 is geared toward people who will be the first aid attendant for worksites that are further from a hospital (more than 20 minutes) where they may need to care for seriously injured workers for a longer time. A Level 3 First Aid attendant will learn to move trauma patients, package them for transport, and care for them enroute in an Emergency Transport Vehicle. A Level 3 first aid attendant will also become proficient with a more detailed assessment model and have a greater set of tools for managing patients who are critically injured - including assisted ventilations and other critical interventions.

The vast majority of first aid courses in BC are valid for 3 years after the day of your course. In a few very rare cases an employer may require you to recertify more often than every 3 years even though the certification hasn’t expired yet.

In short, no. While Red Cross Standard First Aid IS recognized by Worksafe BC as equivalent to an OFA 1 certification, it does NOT work the other way around. If a job requires Standard First Aid, an OFA 1 certification would NOT be acceptable. This is because Standard First Aid is a more comprehensive 2 day course where an OFA Level 1 course is only 1 day, and less comprehensive. One other difference is that the OFA 1 course is designed by Worksafe BC and focuses specifically on caring for injured coworkers, while Standard First Aid covers a broad spectrum of contexts such as injuries that happen in the community or in the home.

OFA Level 3 First Aid attendants learn and practice a number of skills that OFA Level 2 attendants do not. Level 3 is a full two-week (80hr) course compared to Level 2 which is only one-week (40hr). OFA 3 is geared toward people who will be the first aid attendant for worksites that are further from a hospital (more than 20 minutes) where they may need to care for seriously injured workers for a longer time. First and foremost a Level 3 First Aid attendant will learn to move trauma patients, package them for transport, and care for them enroute in an Emergency Transport Vehicle. A Level 3 first aid attendant will also become proficient with a more detailed assessment model and have a greater set of tools for managing patients who are critically injured - including assisted ventilations and other critical interventions.

This is a difficult question to answer precisely as there are different types of first aid courses, and First Aid ™ can sometimes overlap into Professional Responder training, and still be called First Aid. In BC, this is clearly defined for Occupational First Aid, where the highest level of first aid is OFA Level 3. For community oriented first Aid, Standard First Aid is the highest level before getting into Professional Responder courses. For Marine First Aid the highest level defined by Transport Canada is Marine Advanced First Aid. For those who need first aid in remote settings, Wilderness First Aid is the highest level. All of that being said, there are Professional Responder courses that go beyond some of these, such as First Responder, Emergency Medical Responder, and Wilderness First Responder courses for those who want to go beyond learning ‘first aid’.

First aid certification levels and first aid kit contents are being aligned with Canadian Standards Association standards. Level 1, 2, and 3 certificates and kits will become basic, intermediate, and advanced, respectively.

The Advanced First Aid course, formerly OFA Level 3, is a comprehensive occupational first aid level 3 program. It is designed to equip designated first aid attendants with the skills required to handle serious workplace emergencies. This WorkSafeBC Occupational First Aid Level 3 replacement aligns with updated safety standards for high-risk environments.

Yes, the Advanced First Aid course covers all the critical content from OFA 3, including advanced emergency medical care, managing severe injuries, and ensuring proper patient transport. It builds upon the foundation of the OFA Level 3 program to meet the latest WorkSafeBC standards for workplace safety.

This course is ideal for first responders and those designated to act as the first aid attendant in high-risk workplaces. It is particularly suited for individuals working in environments where access to medical facilities may be limited, making advanced emergency medical training essential.

Upon successful completion of the Advanced First Aid course (formerly OFA 3), participants will receive a certification that is valid for 3 years, recognized by WorkSafeBC for managing emergencies in high-risk environments. This certification prepares you to act as a designated first aid attendant in your workplace.

The Advanced First Aid course involves the use of various first aid tools, including a pocket mask for CPR training, ensuring that participants are prepared to respond to real-life emergency medical situations.