How to Renew a First Aid Certification
A first aid certificate is valid for one year. Several kinds of employees, from paramedics to lifeguards to professional babysitters, are required to have a current first aid certificate. Keeping up-to-date with this certificate is not only important to keeping your job, but also for excelling it at. Follow these basic steps to renew your first aid certificate.
- Get a copy of the original first aid certificate. The most common agency to provide the first aid certificate is the Red Cross. You will need to provide the agency with a copy of the original first aid certificate by fax, email or regular US mail. The Red Cross will require a copy of the original certificate before they can renew the new certificate. Don't worry if you lost your original certificate. The Red Cross keeps a database of all those who are certified to provide first aid. However, you will have to pay a fee to get a copy of the original certificate.
- Study the original CPR/first aid manual. You will need to take a series of tests to renew your first aid certificate. You will be required to pass a written test and will also need to perform the first aid skills in front of an instructor.
- Practice the first aid. Practice the first aid procedures on a friend. For the more challenging tasks such as CPR, you may want to make an appointment with a Red Cross instructor. They use a plastic replica of the human body to teach CPR. This is often the most challenging portion of the test, so practice to make sure it is perfect.
- Contact the Red Cross to schedule the test. You must call early to schedule the test. It may take several weeks to be able to schedule the certification exam. Don’t delay as many jobs in the medical field require a current first aid certificate to date.
- Arrive on time to take the certification exam. Arrive early as taking the certification test is a stressful venture. Relax and mentally review the information you studied for the first aid certification exam. Complete the written test and the skills test.
- Go home and relax. The testing center will contact you with the results of the written test and the skills test. If you did not pass the exam you will be required to take another first aid class and pass the exam before you receive your new first aid certificate.