Training

For SJA members

For members of Cambridge Universities Unit (and St John Ambulance members from neighbouring units), St John runs a series of first aid courses, known as the First Aider (FA), Advanced First Aider (AFA) and Emergency Ambulance Crew (EAC) courses. For more information you can email our training lead.

New members usually start with the four day FA course, run on weekends, where you’ll learn all the first aid you need to be effective at events (you should always be on duty in a pair, and we’ll pair you with someone experienced while you learn the ropes!), and to volunteer in hospitals. The course includes CPR, primary and secondary surveys, asthma, poisons, allergic reactions, burns, joint injuries, bleeds, foreign objects and more.

Once you’re an experienced FA, you may choose to take the AFA course, which allows you to do some really advanced stuff! You’ll be able to administer gases such as oxygen and entonox, measure blood pressures, blood sugar and oxygen levels, carry out airway management and to treat/manage spinal injuries. It also allows you to train as a cycle responder.

For experienced AFAs, the next clinical step is an EAC course, where you qualify to crew an ambulance. You’ll learn how to take more thorough patient surveys, additional anatomical knowledge and training in the use of ambulance equipment, including trolleys, scoop stretchers and familiarisation with advanced equipment should you be on duty with a paramedic. You can now also join SJA directly as an EAC and be training to crew ambulances from scratch with no prior knowledge.

But not all SJA volunteers stop at first aiding – once you’ve joined, additional courses are available in running radio control at events, giving training sessions, driving vehicles on events, cycle responding and patient extrication, to name just a few!

For details about when these different courses are, SJA members should check MyTraining on SJA Connect. If you’re interested in joining SJA, sign-up here and we’ll get in touch with all the details. You’re always welcome to contact our training lead if you have specific questions.

For non-members

We do not offer accrediated first aid courses to individuals who are not members of St John Ambulance. However, we run ad-hoc first aid sessions to help educate people in first aid - if you’re interested get in touch. We reccomend that individuals who are seeking a first aid qualification for use exclusively outside of St John contact the St John Ambulance commercial training team. They are able to offer a wide range of courses and qualifications including first aid, fire marshalling and health and safety.