NIMASA STCW EFA study materials
NIMASA STCW EFA study resources

NIMASA STCW EFA study guide

NIMASA STCW EFA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

Elementary First Aid (EFA) is one of the four basic safety training competences required under the STCW Convention for seafarers serving on board ship. In Nigeria, the legal framework named on NIMASA's website is the Merchant Shipping (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) Regulations, 2025, which sits alongside the Merchant Shipping Act 2007 in the Agency's published list of legislation. NIMASA describes itself as the apex regulatory and promotional maritime agency and lists Seafarers Training and Certification, Certificate of Competency issuance and Seafarers Medical Examination among its services, so EFA sits inside a wider certification pathway rather than standing alone. The assessment is intended for deck and engine ratings, cadets and officers who must be able to give immediate, basic casualty care before professional medical help is available, and for anyone renewing or upgrading a Nigerian certificate. Content typically covers scene safety and the primary survey, casualty positioning, recovery position, CPR and rescue breathing, choking, bleeding control and shock, burns, fractures and immobilisation, plus drowning, hypothermia and medical emergency response on board. Preparation means studying the current regulations, working through practical drills with a qualified instructor, and rehearsing casualty scenarios until the sequence is automatic. Topics on this exam: Elementary First Aid (STCW basic safety training). The NIMASA STCW EFA study guide has 1 section and about 438 words.

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Elementary First Aid (STCW EFA)

Elementary First Aid (EFA) is the STCW basic-safety competence in Regulation VI/1 and Code Table A-VI/1-3. The NIMASA exam tests immediate non-medical action at sea: scene safety, ABC, CPR, bleeding control, recovery position, burns, fractures, shock, hypothermia, drowning, first-aid kit use and radio medical advice. It rewards correct sequence and safe limits. Make the scene safe, call for help and send for the first-aid kit and AED.

438 words, about 2 min

More study resources for NIMASA STCW EFA

  • Practice questionsOn a vessel at sea, a crew member collapses and is unresponsive but is breathing normally.
  • FlashcardsPrimary survey DRABC. The ordered check of Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing and Circulation used to find and correct immediately life-threatening problems before any other assessment or treatment.
  • Cheat sheetPrimary survey order: Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation (DRABC); correct any immediately life-threatening problem before moving to the next step.
  • Key termsElementary First Aid (EFA). The basic first aid module of STCW basic safety training.
  • Study planDefine the first aider's role and the chain of survival on board ship, listing the sequence of actions from scene recognition to handover to a medical facility by radio medical advice.
  • Common mistakesCandidates copy film and television CPR instead of the taught landmark.
  • Exam-day guideBring the original document, not a photocopy.