# First Aid and CPR Certification for Clinical Placements and Care Settings > Compare Ontario’s current first aid levels, CPR-C and BLS, setting-specific requirements, approved training, renewal periods, and the evidence to submit. Author: CareCard Published: 2025-06-18 Updated: 2026-08-27 Canonical: https://carecard.ca/articles/first-aid-cpr-certification-levels ![Healthcare trainees practising CPR, ventilation, and AED use on a mannequin](https://carecard.ca/articles/assets/safety/first-aid-cpr-certification-levels.png) ## Start with the exact requirement First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, are related but separate qualifications. A requirement may specify a first aid level, a CPR level, Basic Life Support, an approved training provider, a delivery format, and a completion or expiry window. Match every part of the wording before enrolling because a course that is suitable for one placement or job may not be accepted for another. Ontario workplace rules require covered employers to provide first aid equipment, facilities, and trained personnel. They set the minimum number and level of trained first aiders based on workers per shift; they do not automatically require every student or employee to hold the same certificate. A school, placement site, employer, regulator, or contract may impose an individual requirement that is more specific. Use the current checklist for your role rather than choosing a course from the job title alone. ## Recognize Ontario’s new first aid names The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, or WSIB, renamed its Ontario workplace courses on June 22, 2026. Emergency First Aid is now Basic First Aid, and Standard First Aid is now Intermediate First Aid. The corresponding terms in First Aid Regulation 1101 have not changed, but WSIB treats Basic as equivalent to Emergency and Intermediate as equivalent to Standard. Certificates issued under the former names through June 21, 2026, remain valid until they expire. Basic First Aid is an eight-hour program and is the workplace coverage level for at least one person when five or fewer workers are present on a shift. Intermediate First Aid is a 16-hour program and is required for at least one person when six or more workers are present. These are minimum workplace coverage rules, not a method for deciding an individual placement requirement. When a checklist asks for Standard First Aid, look for the current Intermediate level or obtain written confirmation that another certificate is accepted. Advanced First Aid is not an Ontario workplace minimum unless the requesting organization specifically requires it. ## Keep first aid and CPR requirements separate First aid training covers a broader response to illness and injury, while CPR training focuses on cardiac arrest, airway emergencies, and related resuscitation skills. An approved first aid program includes a recognized CPR component, but the level shown on the certificate still matters. A standalone CPR certificate does not provide the full first aid qualification, and a first aid certificate does not satisfy a separate BLS requirement unless the issued credential explicitly includes the accepted level. Read the final course title and the credential that will be issued, not only the advertisement. For example, “Intermediate First Aid with CPR-C and AED” communicates both components. A certificate that says only “First Aid,” “CPR,” “lifesaving workshop,” or “course participation” may not establish the required level or successful certification. Ask the provider for a sample certificate or a written description when the issued wording is unclear. ## Choose CPR-C or BLS accurately CPR-A addresses adult resuscitation. CPR-C addresses cardiovascular emergencies and choking for adults, children, and infants and is commonly offered with automated external defibrillator, or AED, training. It may be taken on its own or included with first aid. Child care requirements must expressly include infant and child CPR; do not assume every first aid option contains those components. Basic Life Support, or BLS, is professional-level resuscitation training for healthcare providers, trained first responders, and learners in healthcare programs. It emphasizes high-quality single-rescuer and team CPR, ventilations, rapid AED use, and team dynamics. CPR-C is not BLS. Some checklists still use “Healthcare Provider” or “HCP” terminology; when they do, ask whether the organization requires current BLS or accepts a specific HCP credential. Do not assume that similar course content makes the certificate administratively interchangeable. ## Match the certification to the care setting Clinical programs and placement sites may request Intermediate, formerly Standard, First Aid with CPR-C, BLS as a separate credential, or both. Direct patient contact does not create one universal combination across all healthcare roles. If BLS is listed separately, submit it separately and keep it current; neither BLS nor CPR-C should be treated as a substitute for the specified first aid level. In Ontario licensed child care, supervisors and employees who may be counted in required staff-to-child ratios must have valid Standard First Aid, now equivalent to Intermediate First Aid, including infant and child CPR from a WSIB-recognized training agency. The rule also applies to providers of home child care and, through the regulation’s in-home services provisions, in-home services providers. A student who is not counted in the ratio may still need certification under school or placement policy. For personal support work, home care, community care, or private caregiving outside that licensing framework, the Ontario Personal Support Worker Standard recognizes the importance of appropriate First Aid and CPR certification from a WSIB-approved provider, but the exact level remains role- and organization-specific. ## Use an approved provider and accepted format For Ontario workplace first aid and licensed child care requirements, select a provider approved by the WSIB. Check the current provider directory and look for the WSIB First Aid Program badge before paying. An affiliate may deliver the course, but it should be listed by the approved provider, and the approved provider must issue the certificate. A claim that a company is approved across Canada is not proof of WSIB approval in Ontario. WSIB-approved first aid training may be completed in a classroom or through an approved blended program that places theory online and skill demonstrations in a classroom with an instructor. WSIB does not currently approve online-only first aid certification because the learner cannot demonstrate the required practical skills. BLS also includes evaluated hands-on skills. If the requesting organization specifies an instructor-led format, training agency, or course brand, follow that instruction even when another course is otherwise recognized. ## Complete the course and plan renewal Before registering, compare the course level, CPR or BLS component, provider approval, delivery format, certificate wording, and date requirements with the checklist. Enrol in the full course unless you hold a current certificate that qualifies for recertification. Bring identification and the existing certificate when requested, attend all required components, complete the knowledge and practical evaluations, and review the issued credential while corrections are still easy to request. Ontario workplace first aid certificates are valid for three years from issue. An Intermediate First Aid certificate may be recertified once while eligible; after one recertification, a new full certificate is required. BLS certificates issued by Heart & Stroke or the Canadian Red Cross are valid for one year. Other CPR credentials and requesting organizations may use different currency rules, so rely on the certificate and current policy rather than assuming that all CPR expires annually. Schedule renewal before expiry because a lapsed credential may no longer qualify for a shorter recertification course. ## Submit complete certification evidence A useful certificate shows your full name, the exact first aid and CPR or BLS level, training agency, completion or issue date, expiry date, successful status, and certificate number when one is assigned. If first aid and BLS were issued as separate credentials, provide both documents. Check that every page is readable and that the name and dates match the information used for your placement or employment record. Upload the complete certificate to the matching CareCard requirement and retain the original digital record. CareCard can guide the submission and support document validation, while the program, placement site, or employer determines whether the level, provider, course format, and validity period meet its requirements. A temporary record should be used only when the requesting organization accepts it, then replaced with the final certificate when available. ## Official first aid and CPR resources Use the current program, placement, employer, and occupational health instructions together with these official references. ### Official resources - [CareCard preparation and upload guide](https://carecard.ca/knowledge/get-started) - [WSIB First Aid Program requirements and 2026 course names](https://www.wsib.ca/en/firstaid) - [WSIB approved first aid provider finder](https://www.wsib.ca/en/find-your-first-aid-training-provider) - [Ontario child care staff qualification guidance](https://www.ontario.ca/document/child-care-centre-licensing-manual/part-8-staff-qualifications) - [Ontario Regulation 137/15 child care first aid requirements](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/150137) - [Ontario Personal Support Worker program standard](https://www.ontario.ca/page/college-program-standard-personal-support-worker) - [Heart & Stroke CPR, First Aid, and BLS course guidance](https://www.heartandstroke.ca/how-you-can-help/learn-cpr) - [Canadian Red Cross CPR-C and AED course guidance](https://myrc.redcross.ca/en/home-course-details/fa-cpr/) - [Canadian Red Cross Basic Life Support course](https://myrc.redcross.ca/en/home-course-details/fa-bls/)