Qualsafe’s Level 4 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care (FREC) course gives you an intermediate level of prehospital care knowledge and clinical practice to deal with a range of prehospital care situations.
If you have a specific responsibility at work – or in voluntary and community activities – to provide prehospital care to patients requiring emergency and urgent care/treatment, this qualification will provide you with the practical skills and underpinning knowledge to do so safely. Examples roles are emergency care assistant, intermediate ambulance practitioner, event medical provider, associate practitioner & healthcare assistant. The qualification also supports specialist medical roles within the military, police & fire services.
Our Level 4 FREC qualification provides you with the ability to meet a ‘licence to practise’ requirement that allows you to act within your scope of practice to administer safe, prompt, effective prehospital care in situations which can arise when providing emergency and urgent treatment and/or management.
This qualification and learning outcomes are based on the guidance of:
- Resuscitation Council (UK)
- Skills for Health Assessment Principles for Qualifications that Assess Occupational Competence
- The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) – Faculty of Pre Hospital Care (FPHC)
Our FREC4 course fulfils the competences set out in the Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) skills framework at descriptor level E.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to demonstrate the practical administration of safe, prompt, effective prehospital care in situations which can arise when providing emergency treatment and/or management.
Upcoming Level 4 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care courses
We run this course at your premises, for groups of 4-6 learners..Each day runs from 0830 – 1700 (approx)
If you have 4-6 staff members interested in this qualification, please email training@promed999.co.uk or call 03333 445442 to discuss.
These courses are provided by our training partner, STC Training Solutions, a Qualsafe Awards Registered Centre No. 0907391.
Level 4 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care qualification details
This qualification contains 1 mandatory unit with a Total Qualification Time (TQT) of 180 hours. This is made up of 39 Guided Learning Hours (GLH); the time your are being taught and assessed under the immediate guidance of a trainer/assessor. The remaining 141 hours are what you will reasonably spend preparing & studying and towards assessment, directed (but not supervised) by a trainer/assessor, and in applying your practice.
The credit value for this qualification is 18 credits at level 4.
Topics covered
On the Level 4 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care course, you’ll first learn the roles & responsibilities of a first aider. An important part of all emergency care is incident reporting and completing patient report forms.
We’ll teach you how to assess patients, manage airways and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on adults, children & infants. You’ll learn the procedures for the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and when to provide emergency oxygen.
In addition to covering medical emergencies, the course looks at traumatic injuries such as catastrophic bleeding, burns & scalds, external & internal bleeding and neck, spine & pelvic immobilisation. You’ll also learn when & how to safely remove helmets.
We look at shock, poisoning & intoxicating substances, environmental exposure and minor injuries, too.
Pre-course reading
You should be aware that pre-course reading is an essential component of your FREC4 course. You’ll need to complete approximately 20 hours of study in patient assessment strategy, normal physiological parameters for both adults & children, oxygen & Entonox administration guidelines, anatomy & physiology (for the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous & digestive systems), spotting the sick child and sepsis.
A lot of this is covered in our training partner’s webinar series, if you would prefer to learn by watching videos!
Off-course study
You’ll be given plenty of opportunity to reflect on & consolidate your learning. You can carry out your own exploration & research to develop your knowledge and understanding through additional reading. There’ll be time between blocks of classroom sessions to refine & practice your skills, complete assignments and prepare for your summative assessments.
Assessment
You must complete all assessments & skills tests in the unit successfully within the registration period to achieve the qualification. The maximum time to complete this qualification, including any referrals is 12 months.
Assessment of performance is carried out on a 1:1 basis.
2 x practical assessments:
- Immediate Life Support (ILS) (Adult)
- Assessment and treatment of trauma
3 x skills tests
- Physiological observsations
- Assisting with clinical interventions
- Immobilisation and extrication equipment
2 x invigilated examinations
- Electocariography (ECG) recognitions – 15 minutes, 10 questions, pass mark 100%
- Anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and applied practice – 45 minutes, pass mark 70% (on each question)
3 x theory assessments:
- Component 1 Patient assessment and management (workbook, 12 questions)
- Component 2 Emergency trauma care (workbook, 20 questions)
- Component 3 Focused emergency and urgent care (workbook, 16 questions)
Pre-requisites
- QA Level 3 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care (RQF) qualification (or a QA recognised equivalent)
- CPD profile containing evidence of 100hrs study and/or contextualised practice – this must show how they have been completed and contain an accurate report on the activites you have undertaken to improve your practice
- Be at least 18 years old on the first day of the training
QA Level 4 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care (RQF) certificate
You’ll receive your Qualsafe Awards Level 4 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care (RQF) e-certificate soon after your results have been submitted. We’ll also post a printed certificate within a few weeks of the course ending.
We’ll issue you with an interim ecertificate confirming what you have been assessed on to cover the time from our Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) confirming your have met the requirement for the award until your certificate is issued. You can show this to employers pending the certificate from the awarding body.
Recommended reading
You can prepare for this course and support your learning by reading Ross & Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness (ISBN 9780702072765). The JRCALC Clinical Guidelines (ISBN 9781859596555) is extremely useful for the treatment protocols for medical emergencies & trauma.
We’ll provide a copy of each of the above texts for you to use during the course. You may take them home between sessions to support your self-study.
You’ll also receive Ambulance Care Practice (ISBN 9781859598542) to keep on the first day of the course. This will support you in your career to put your knowledge into practice.
You may also enjoy reading Generic Core Material – Prehospital Emergency Care Course (ISBN 9780954621377), which provides a comprehensive overview of delivering safe prehospital critical care to seriously ill or injured patients.
Requalification
Your QA Level 4 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care (RQF) certificate is valid for 1 year, unless you maintain a CPD portfolio and hold a valid ILS qualification. This is dated when you achieve the final unit.
You are responsible for maintaining your QA L4 Certificate in FREC. The two requirements are that:
- You maintain a continuous professional development (CPD) log
- You attend annual training covering the assessment and treatment of cardiorespiratory arrest and life-threatening injury/illness; this may include an immediate life support (ILS) qualification
ProMed can arrange to run an ILS course at your location for groups of 4-6 learners, covering all requirements of the awarding body, but being tailored to your specific practice.
We can also audit your CPD log and provide targets for your self-directed study. Please call 03333 445442 or email training@promed999.co.uk for further details.
Progression
This course is a pre-requisite for the QA Level 5 Certificate in First Response Emergency Care (RQF) qualification. It forms part of the progressive FREC suite of qualifications, which can ultimately lead to registration as a paramedic.
You can increase your knowledge & skills by attending our Safe Administration of Lifesaving Medication (SALM) course, which gives you the knowledge and skills needed to safely administer medication in a prehospital environment.