About this course

Over a 5 day period, learners will gain the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to deal with a range of prehospital care emergencies, such as: managing a patient’s airway, catastrophic bleeding, management of fractures, medical emergencies and more.

FREC 3 is endorsed by The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care – The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and fulfilling the competencies set out in the PHEM skills framework at descriptor level D, this fantastic qualification is perfect for a range of roles in emergency care, such as: Event Medical Responder, Emergency Care Support Worker and more. What’s more, the QA First Response Emergency Care Level 3 also forms part of a progressive suite of prehospital care qualifications and allows progression to FREC 4 QA Level 4 First Response Emergency Care.

Who is FREC 3 Suitable for?

The FREC 3 provides a solid foundation for the learner to be competent to deal with a wide range of medical and trauma situations in the prehospital environment and is suitable for but not limited to:

• Event first aiders
• Ambulance care assistants
• Fire fighters
• Police fire arms and medics
• Close protection operative: this qualification is recognised by the Security Industries Authority (SIA)
• Expedition Leaders UK and overseas
• Journalists working overseas
• Researchers working overseas
• Film Crews working in remote areas
• Aid workers in hostile or disaster prone countries
• Community Responders in the UK
• High risk work environments in the UK and overseas
• Offshore workers

What’s Covered in FREC 3?

It is designed to equip learners with the knowledge and practical skills to handle critical situations before professional medical help arrives.

• Roles and responsibilities of a first responder
• Medical emergencies
• Patient assessment
• Airway management
• Adult, child and infant CPR & AED usage
• Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) procedures
• Emergency oxygen
• Traumatic injuries
• Catastrophic bleeding
• Shock
• Poisoning and intoxicating substances
• External and internal bleeding
• Helmet removal
• Neck, spine and pelvic immobilisation
• Environmental exposure
• Burns and scalds
• Minor injuries
• Incident reporting

Entry Requirements

QA Level 3 Award in First Response Emergency Care (FREC 3) is an Entry level qualification and requires no previous knowledge. Students must be willing to attend the full course and have the enthusiasm to get the most out of it. Learners must:

• Be 17 Years old
• Have adequate numeracy and literacy skills to under take the assessments.

Curriculum

The course includes both theoretical knowledge and hands-on practical training, covering key topics such as

1. Unit 1 First Response Emergency Care
• 1.1 Understand the role and responsibilities of a first responder providing emergency care.
• 1.2 Be able to assess an incident.
• 1.3 Be able to assess a patient.
• 1.4 Be able to assess a patient’s airway.
• 1.5 Be able to manage a patient’s airway.
• 1.6 Be able to manage an unresponsive patient who is not breathing normally.
• 1.7 Be able to use appropriate equipment during a resuscitation attempt.
• 1.8 Be able to administer emergency oxygen.

2. Unit 2 First Response Emergency Care of Trauma
• 2.1 Be able to manage catastrophic bleeding. (Use of Haemostats and Tourniquets)
• 2.2 Be able to manage a patient who is in shock.
• 2.3 Be able to manage a patient who is bleeding.
• 2.4 Know how to manage a patient with burns or scald.
• 2.5 Know how to manage a patient with minor injuries.
• 2.6 Know how to manage a patient with sudden poisoning.
• 2.7 Be able to provide emergency care to a patient with head and spinal injuries.
• 2.8 Be able to provide emergency care to a patient with injuries to bones, muscles and joints.

3. Unit 3 First Response Emergency Care of Medical Conditions
• 3.1 Understand how to identify a patient with breathing difficulties.
• 3.2 Understand how to manage a patient with breathing difficulties.
• 3.3 Know how to manage a patient with anaphylaxis.
• 3.4 Know how to manage a patient with suspected major illness.
• 3.5 Know how to manage a patient who is in seizure.
• 3.6 Understand how to provide emergency care for the effects of environmental exposure.