RPL for Certificate II in Medical Service First Response

Certificate II in Medical Service First Response takes 9 units. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, each unit is assessed on evidence of work you have already done rather than on training you sit through.

What the assessment looks at

Every unit sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know. An assessor works through them one at a time, asking the same question each time: does this person's evidence show they can do this reliably, in a real workplace, recently enough to count?

You can read the full requirements for HLT21020 on the national training register. They are public, and worth a look before you spend anything — if the units describe work you have never done, RPL is not your route.

Evidence worth gathering before you start

• Photos of completed jobs, ideally showing a few stages of the same job, with their original dates intact.
• Job sheets, dockets, work orders or site diaries covering a spread of jobs.
• Supervisors, employers or clients who will confirm specifically what you did.
• Any licences or tickets you already hold.

How the guided process works

You work through the 9 units one at a time, talking about jobs you have actually done. You can speak rather than type. Add photos as you find them, and stop whenever you like — progress saves itself, and most people spread this over weeks while they dig out records. At the end you have an evidence portfolio your RTO's assessor can work through.

What this does not do

It does not assess you, and it cannot promise you HLT21020. An assessor at a registered training organisation makes that decision and may require further evidence or training. What a complete portfolio buys you is a fair assessment rather than a rejection over paperwork.

See what HLT21020 involves →

The 9 units you complete, chosen from these 17

You do not do all 17. Certificate II in Medical Service First Response is 5 core units, which everyone does, plus 4 chosen from the 12 electives below. Read both lists before you spend anything — it is the fastest way to tell whether RPL is your route. If most of this describes work you have done, you have a case to make. If whole sections describe work you have never touched, an assessor will say so, and doing the course is the honest answer.

Worth knowing: 1 of them have a prerequisite unit, so the order you gather evidence in matters.

Core units — everyone does these

• CHCDIV001 — Work with diverse people
• HLTAID011 — Provide First Aid
• HLTINF006 — Apply basic principles and practices of infection prevention and control
• HLTWHS002 — Follow safe work practices for direct client care
• HLTWHS006 — Manage personal stressors in the work environment

Electives — you choose from these

• BSBMED301 — Interpret and apply medical terminology appropriately
• BSBTWK201 — Work effectively with others
• CHCCOM005 — Communicate and work in health or community services
• CHCDIV002 — Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety
• CHCLEG001 — Work legally and ethically
• HLTAAP001 — Recognise healthy body systems
• HLTAAP002 — Confirm physical health status
• HLTAID013 — Provide First Aid in remote or isolated site
• HLTAID014 — Provide Advanced First Aid
• HLTAID015 — Provide advanced resuscitation and oxygen therapy
• HLTOUT007 — Transport non-emergency patients under operational conditions
• HLTWHS005 — Conduct manual tasks safely

Each unit breaks down further into elements and performance criteria — the specific things you have to be able to show. The guide works through them one unit at a time and asks about jobs you have actually done, rather than making you read the register yourself.

Related qualifications

Same training package, and a common second choice for people who find this one is not quite their trade:

• Certificate III in Health Administration (HLT37315, 13 units)

More RPL in health and community services

Every qualification in this industry, which of them have a guide ready, and what assessors here accept as evidence: RPL in health and community services.

When you are ready, see what HLT21020 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.