This Qualsafe Awards regulated course is nationally recognized as a Level 3 Pre-hospital Care Level 3 qualification that is respected by many medical companies and healthcare organizations.

The FREC Level 3 course is popular because it is a qualification that can be used for some ambulance work, event medical cover and in other environments.

The course has been developed as a result of a partnership between Qualsafe Awards and the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh who clinically endorse the qualification.

The FREC Level 3 certificate can be used as a valued qualification that is recognized and accepted by numerous employers. For example, companies who provide event medical cover, ambulance services and security services.

In addition, if you would like to work in the emergency services, the course can be used to start a paramedical career because it is part of a progressive suite of pre-hospital care qualifications that lead to the QA Level 6 Diploma in Paramedic Practice (RQF).

If you want to be an HCPC registered Paramedic this is a way to do it!

This course is for people who have a ‘first responder’ responsibility in their workplace and/or anyone who works on a voluntary basis or within the community who needs to know about prehospital care. In fact the FREC Level 3 course is suitable for anyone who may need to provide prehospital care and treatment to any casualty or patient.

The course is also ideal for people who want to work as an emergency care provider. The course is suitable for a variety of various healthcare settings. In addition the FREC Level 3 course also fulfils the competencies set out in the PHEM skills framework at Descriptor Level D so it is ideal for non-healthcare professionals who are required to provide emergency care for patients as a secondary role – e.g. Police Officers and Fire Service personnel.

The course is also perfect for people who work in a high risk environment and/or anyone who would like to increase their knowledge and learn new skills with regard to emergency care. For example, our learning groups include first aiders, first aid trainers and ex-military personnel.

All course participants must be at least seventeen years old on the first day of the training course. There are no other formal entry requirements. However, to benefit fully from the training course, Qualsafe Awards advise that all learners have a minimum of Level 2 in literacy and numeracy (or equivalent) and a basic understanding of first aid.

Our instructors are experienced trainers and healthcare professionals and they will always do their best to assist any course participant who is, for instance, is dyslexic and/or has a physical disability.

Please note that our Ipswich medical training centre is easily accessible to wheelchair users and it also has a properly-equipped wheelchair-accessible unisex toilet.

All Qualsafe Award courses use the English language so all FREC course participants should be able to speak, read and understand English. You will also be required to show the instructor a valid form of photographic identification on the first day of the course. In addition you may be asked to sign a learning agreement.

This course will give you the essential knowledge, practical skills and confidence that are required to recognize and treat injuries and sudden illnesses in a safe, prompt and effective way. Your First Response Emergency Care Level 3 course will include the following topics…

• Roles and Responsibilities of a First Responder
• Patient Assessment
• Initial and Secondary Survey
• Unconscious Casualties
• Recovery Position
• Medical Emergencies
• Epilepsy, Asthma and Diabetes
• Anaphylactic Shock
• Airway Management
• Choking
• Emergency Oxygen
• Heart Attack and Angina
• Adult, Child and Infant Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Automated External Defibrillation (AED)
• Return of Spontaneous Circulation (ROSC)
• Shock (Recognition and Treatment)
• Traumatic Injuries
• Stroke (CVA) Compression, Concussion
• External and Internal Bleeding
• Amputation and Crush Injuries
• Poisoning and intoxicating substances
• Fractures, Dislocations, Sprains and Strains
• Neck, Spine and Pelvic Immobilization
• Crash Helmet removal
• Environmental Exposure
• Burns and Scalds
• Minor Injuries – including eye injuries
• Incident Reporting………and much more!!!!

All of our courses are tailored to the specific individual requirements of each course participant so our instructors will always do their best to answer questions with regard to any additional topic and/or give personal one-to-one tuition when individual course participants need additional help.

Your five-day classroom course will cover 3 mandatory units that will have a total value of 15 credits. Each credit is equivalent to 10 hours of learning time.

The three units are as follows…

Unit 1 First Response Emergency Care
Unit 2 First Response Emergency Care of Trauma
Unit 3 First Response Emergency Care of Medical Conditions

If you need or would like some additional time with your instructor (e.g. to practice a new skill) it will be provided free of charge.

During your 5-day course you will gain the relevant knowledge, practical skills and competencies that could be needed to manage a wide range of Prehospital Care emergencies including managing a unconscious patient’s airway, catastrophic bleeding, fractures, burns, acute medical emergencies and much more. For a more detailed overview of the topics covered please download the Qualification Specification.

The total qualification time (TQT) for this course is 150 hours. This means you will need to attend a five-day (i.e. 40 hour) classroom course and complete a 110 hours of self-directed study that will need to be done in your own time before, during and after the course. If you need any advice you will be able to contact your course instructor anytime before, during or after the course.

Please note that the minimum time to complete this qualification is 3 weeks and the maximum time is 20 weeks. Therefore, if you decide to do your FREC Level 3 course over the maximum 20 weeks allowed, you will need to attend the five-day FREC course and allocate only 6 hours a week to study.

This course does not require you to submit any homework or a portfolio or any workbooks. However you will be expected to read about different medical topics and do other forms of self-directed study. For instance some course participants watch relevant medical videos. If you book a place on one of our FREC Level 3 courses we’ll give you a comprehensive course textbook and other items to keep!

Please see our Course Dates page for details about our forthcoming FREC Level 3 course dates that are open to everyone. To be fair to every course participant we book all courses on a first-come-first-served basis.

Please ensure that you arrive in our training room by 8.45am every day so that the course is able to start promptly at 9am and finish at 6pm. There will be a lunch break between 1pm and 2pm. In addition you will have a rest and refreshment break in the morning and during the afternoon.

There will be disposable cups available. However, to help protect the environment, please feel free to
bring your own coffee cup or mug to the course!

Please note that all course participants are required to attend all of the classroom course so, if any course participant arrives late or leaves early any day, he or she may not be allowed to start or finish the course and/or obtain a FREC Level 3 certificate.