When did the RYA First Aid Course Become 1 Day?

[Mark-1]

I'm sure the RYA First Aid Course used to be two days and valid for 5 years.

Now it seems to be one day and valid for 3 years.

Is my recollection correct, when did it change?

(I don't need it, just curious.)

 

[jbweston]

As far as I can remember they've been one day courses from the time I did my first in 2005. Although I might be wrong about that. My 2005 certificate has no 'expiry date' on it. I did the next one in 2008 and the certificate says on its face that it was valid for three years.

I did my latest in March 2024 - still a one day course - but it surprised me a little by having a multiple choice exam at the end of the day. I don't know when that was introduced.

 

[ylop]

STCW certificates are valid for 5 yrs.
I can’t remember if RYA courses were always one day but first aid at work courses underwent a major review in the naughties, and became three rather than four days.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Like jbweston I did my first in the very early 2000s it was one day and I seem to remember was valid for a period of years 3 or 5 don't have that old certificate to check.

 

[jbweston]

I have only ever done the RYA first aid course for amateur sailors as required to pass the Yachtmaster. I can well believe the course has always been longer for those wanting a commercial endorsement.

 

[Sandy]

It has always been a one day course.

On my last re-qualification it struck me that I did my first St Andrew's First Aid Course 50 years ago!

 

[Mark-1]

Thanks all. The only time I did it was (I think) 2002 and I could have sworn it was 2 days. (It seemed to translate into a hell of a lot of evenings!)

I also thought there was a refresher for people who already had it that avoided doing the whole course again.

ChatGPT concurs with YBW, so it looks like I have a set of completely false memories!

 

[ylop]

I have only ever done the RYA first aid course for amateur sailors as required to pass the Yachtmaster. I can well believe the course has always been longer for those wanting a commercial endorsement.

The RYA 1-day course will suffice for standard commercial endorsement. Some employers / vessels might want STCW tickets for various things in addition.

Thanks all. The only time I did it was (I think) 2002 and I could have sworn it was 2 days. (It seemed to translate into a hell of a lot of evenings!)

I also thought there was a refresher for people who already had it that avoided doing the whole course again.

ChatGPT concurs with YBW, so it looks like I have a set of completely false memories!

The RYA course is essentially the standard “Emergency First Aid” course with some extra little bits of focus on drowning and hypothermia. Of course nothing to stop a particular provider taking longer / covering more detail. Eg, if you were at a club training rescue boat crew they might have decided that a 1 day basic course was not enough, or if you were with an outdoor centre training instructors who cover various sports they might actually have covered the larger “Outdoor First Aid” syllabus (usually 2 days) because other sports governing bodies require the 2 day content.

Or if you did it over a set of evenings - 1 day = 5 evenings?

I would strongly encourage anyone to do the training but actually the RYA wouldn’t be my first choice of provider - you can become a first aid instructor without even putting an Elastoplast on a real patient or ever leaving the classroom. For those in club roles where they might be the person likely to be called on three years is a long time between training too - if I was in charge of a dinghy club or RTC I would run an annual 1 day “refresher” workshop covering real life scenarios for rescue work, first aid, radio use etc. Would that extra time commitment put people off or give them the confidence that if something goes wrong on their shift they are prepared?

 

[st599]

The RYA 1-day course will suffice for standard commercial endorsement. Some employers / vessels might want STCW tickets for various things in addition.

The RYA course is essentially the standard “Emergency First Aid” course with some extra little bits of focus on drowning and hypothermia. Of course nothing to stop a particular provider taking longer / covering more detail. Eg, if you were at a club training rescue boat crew they might have decided that a 1 day basic course was not enough, or if you were with an outdoor centre training instructors who cover various sports they might actually have covered the larger “Outdoor First Aid” syllabus (usually 2 days) because other sports governing bodies require the 2 day content.

Or if you did it over a set of evenings - 1 day = 5 evenings?

I would strongly encourage anyone to do the training but actually the RYA wouldn’t be my first choice of provider - you can become a first aid instructor without even putting an Elastoplast on a real patient or ever leaving the classroom. For those in club roles where they might be the person likely to be called on three years is a long time between training too - if I was in charge of a dinghy club or RTC I would run an annual 1 day “refresher” workshop covering real life scenarios for rescue work, first aid, radio use etc. Would that extra time commitment put people off or give them the confidence that if something goes wrong on their shift they are prepared?

Having tried to get a club member who is a full-time paramedic instructor on to the course, the RYA seem to care more about first aid instructors being yachtmasters than being good at first aid instruction.

 

[penberth3]

......I would run an annual 1 day “refresher” workshop covering real life scenarios for rescue work, first aid, radio use etc. Would that extra time commitment put people off or give them the confidence that if something goes wrong on their shift they are prepared?

An excellent idea, should be part of every club's calendar. I'd aim for more than once a year.

 

[capnsensible]

A couple of decades ago I did the old Ship Captains Medical course at Warsash Nautical College. 5 days. Best bit was one lunchtime and the instructoress said 'after lunch we will do death'. Worst bit, inserting a catheter....foam models.

Now replaced by 2 STCW courses. Done those but not as much fun.

 

[oldbloke]

Our Solo dinghy sailors are getting on a bit but I can't Imagine our rescue boats carrying catherisation packs in case their prostatism tips over into retention

 

[Biggles Wader]

A couple of decades ago I did the old Ship Captains Medical course at Warsash Nautical College. 5 days. Best bit was one lunchtime and the instructoress said 'after lunch we will do death'. Worst bit, inserting a catheter....foam models.

Now replaced by 2 STCW courses. Done those but not as much fun.

I still have a copy of The Ship Captains Medical guide c1975 edition, a bootleg bought in Taiwan for about 50p. Times have changed a bit but maybe not as much as we might think.

 

[WindyWindyWindy]

STCW certificates are valid for 5 yrs.
I can’t remember if RYA courses were always one day but first aid at work courses underwent a major review in the naughties, and became three rather than four days.

Actually the stcw courses don't have an expiry date and the refresher courses don't update the first aid part.

 

[ylop]

Actually the stcw courses don't have an expiry date and the refresher courses don't update the first aid part.

That depends what you are using them for:

Updating FAQs.