Rescue Diver students and Divemaster/Instructor candidates must have current (within the past 24 months) EFR Primary and Secondary Care training.
If you’ve completed CPR and first aid training elsewhere within the past 24 months, contact your PADI Instructor to confirm whether the training you receive meets the prerequisite. Please provide the name of the certifying organization, the course name(s) and any supporting documentation. Please note: online-only courses without hands-on training do not meet the prerequisite for any PADI courses.
What if I’m a healthcare professional? We recognize nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals receive comprehensive medical training during their initial schooling. However, in the years that follow, some medical professionals do not use CPR and first aid skills frequently.Our goal is to have PADI Rescue Divers, Divemasters and Instructors who are recently trained in CPR and first aid. With that in mind:
- If you work in a triage environment such as an emergency room and use your CPR and first aid skills regularly, simply provide your instructor with written confirmation from the facility where you work indicating this is your routine practice area.
- If your initial medical training took place within the past two years, provide your instructor with written confirmation from your educational facility that clearly indicates you received both first aid and CPR training and the course completion date.
- If you completed your medical training more than two years ago but you’ve participated in CPR and first aid refresher training, provide your instructor with information about the certifying organization and the course name(s). Your instructor will verify if the training you received covers the same topics and adheres to the same standards as EFR Primary and Secondary Care.
Emergency First Response® (EFR®)
Emergency First Response is one of the largest international CPR, AED and first aid training organizations. Every day, in 170 countries around the world, 56,000 EFR Instructors help individuals, communities and businesses prepare for emergencies. EFR Courses make learning easy by providing a non-stressful environment and learning tools to help students remember key procedures in an emergency.