First Aid & CPR Training
Res #: 13-24M
Number: 13
Year: 2024
Midterm: Yes
Expired: No
Responses Received: Yes
Departments: Saskatchewan Ministry of Education
WHEREAS Saskatchewan ambulance wait times vary greatly; especially for those outside the urban centres.
WHEREAS the first few minutes after an accident or incident are critical to a person’s survivability.
WHEREAS first aid and CPR training have shown to be of great value and should be learned from a young age and kept up to date as required.
BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health to have first aid and CPR training as part of the high school curriculum so that every student learns this very important life skill before they seek employment where it is a prerequisite or before they come across an individual that may require it.
Responses From: Saskatchewan Ministry of Education
January 29, 2025
Thank you for your letter regarding the resolution from the 2024 SARM midterm convention to include first aid and CPR training as part of the high school curriculum in Saskatchewan.
Opportunities exist within Saskatchewan school curricula for students to learn about first aid and CPR education. For example, in Health Education students may learn about acquiring basic first aid skills while committing to personal safety practices. In Physical Education 8, students learn the skills required to administer basic first aid as a result of injuries acquired in a movement activity.
In high school courses such as Wellness 10, students learn about safety and injury prevention. In several practical and applied arts (PAA) courses such as Emergency Services 20, 30 students learn about the first aid skills used by all branches of emergency services, and may study further theory, strategies, safety and decision making related to careers in emergency medical services. In Early Learning, Supportive Care 20, 30, students may be introduced to basic skills and knowledge required by care providers in various care environments in the health care sector.
High school students also have opportunities to explore health-related careers through self-directed study modules in Physical Education 20, 30. In Health Science 20, students explore health-science-related occupations, analyze human anatomy and physiology, investigate the effects of injuries and disease and explore the tools and procedures used to diagnose and monitor medical conditions.
If school divisions identify local needs not being addressed by provincially developed curricula, they may create locally developed courses to meet these needs. Locally developed courses of study are developed by school divisions and are approved by the Ministry of Education.
While government provides curriculum, the implementation, instructional approaches and the decision to offer specific training and certification, such as first aid and CPR courses, are the responsibility of the school divisions.
Thank you again for taking the time to share this resolution.
Hon. Everett Hindley – Minister of Education, Government of Saskatchewan
