Does it protect people who know first aid but never took the course to get the certificate?

Madkins0 answered:
Actually, the Good Samaritan Law covers ANYONE who chooses to get involved in an emergency situation voluntarily (that is, does not have to because of their job or professional certification or license). While the laws differ by state, they generally include:

• That you act in good faith- you are doing this willingly without thought of reward and no intention of messing them up or benefiting from it.
• That you acted in accordance with any training you may have. Perfection is not expected, but if you have been trained in CPR properly and you decide instead to do a tap dance on the victim, that will count against you.
• That you acted like a reasonable and prudent person would have in the situation. Doing some field surgery you saw on an old sit-com rerun, for example, is neither reasonable nor prudent.
• Making things worse while trying to help is EXACTLY why the laws were written. People are already reluctant to help in emergencies- fear of blood, making things worse, etc. If they were also afraid of getting sued for any little misstep, then no one would do anything and people would die.

Just use the best common sense you can in the situation, and everything should be fine!

rickinno answered:
If the person doesn't do any harm then he doesn't need a good Samaritan law.
Good Samaritan laws vary by State, but their general intent is to prevent people who come to the aid of an injured person from being sued for any harm that they cause as long as they act "reasonably" in their attempt to help.

Richard S answered:
Protect them from what?

Hypothetical situation - I'm waiting for a bus when an old lady passes out in front of me. I'm not 'first aid qualified', but managed to monitor her airway, breathing, circulation and so on until the ambulance arrived.
Why would I need legal protection from anything?

stan Darsh answered:
Generally, the law will protect persons from being subject to civil liability, in coming to the aid of others and subsequently causing injury. This is provided that the good samaritan act is not 'reckless' or grossly-negligent.