What your student is actually doing

Decide on evidence, not impression

A student who finishes has watched clinical decisions being made, written the record of them, and seen what the training costs in dollars and years. They can answer the question either way and say why — which is a different thing from wanting to be a doctor because of a television show, and a different thing again from ruling it out because someone said it was hard.

Name 10 jobs in medicine that are neither doctor nor nurse

Most students believe those are the only 2. By the end a student can identify 16 clinical roles, say what each one does, name 24 specialties, and place each route in the right range for training length and pay. A student who decides against medical school has not decided against medicine, and knowing that is the single most useful thing this course does.

Recognize when symptoms warrant attention — and say so

This one reaches every student whatever they go on to do. They see the return precautions a physician actually gives — the specific symptoms that turn a wait-and-see into a go-now — and learn why lethargic means a decreased level of consciousness rather than tiredness, and why not being able to keep fluids down is its own reason to come back.

Telling someone is part of it, not a softer version of it. A young person who notices something worrying often says nothing, because they are unsure or cannot describe it. A student who can say what they are seeing is far more likely to say it at all.

It is not a credential

Completion is not a license, a certification, or a qualification to practice anything. It is coursework.

It is not clinical placement

Every patient, encounter and record in the course is fictional. No student sees real patient information at any point.

It is not graded by us

There is no external assessor. Academic credit, if you award it, is awarded by you or by the issuing school — not by this course.

Does my student need science background?

No. The course starts from nothing and builds the vocabulary from word parts. A student who has never taken biology can do all of it.

What do you collect about my student?

You apply on their behalf, so the application holds your contact details. Course progress is stored on the device your student uses. The privacy policy sets out what is kept and for how long.

Why does a parent have to apply?

Because the audience is 14 to 18. The form is parent-facing by design. If your student is 18 or over they can apply for themselves and there is an option for that.

Can I use it for a transcript?

There is a transcript pack — an hours log, a syllabus, an assessment rubric and a parent-facing summary. What you do with it is up to you and your umbrella or district.

What equipment do we need?

A computer with a keyboard, and headphones or speakers. That is the whole list. A laptop, a desktop or a Chromebook all work. Any current browser is fine.

The keyboard is not optional. Several units ask the student to type a clinical note against a clock, and 2 of the games are typing games — a touchscreen keyboard will make those frustrating rather than difficult. An iPad with a keyboard attached works, as does any tablet with a real keyboard.

Is there an app to download?

No. It runs in a browser at scribeclass.com. Nothing to install, no account to create, no software to update. Your student opens a link and starts.

Do they need the internet the whole time?

Yes, for the course itself. It is a website rather than a download, so the pages load as they go. It is light — no video streaming — so an ordinary home connection or a phone hotspot is plenty.

Do we need a printer?

Only for one thing. Unit 10 asks the student to write 5 notes by hand, on paper, while a clinician speaks — that is what taking a dictation actually is. Lined paper and a pen is enough; nothing needs printing.

Is there sound? Do they need to be somewhere quiet?

Yes. Every term can be tapped to hear it said aloud, and Unit 10 and the flashcard decks are audio. Headphones are the easier option, particularly if there is more than one student in the room.

Can they use a phone?

The pages work on a phone and a student can read and use the flashcards on one. The typing units and the capstone want a real keyboard, so a phone is fine for the practice between sessions and not for the units themselves.

Can 2 students share a device?

They can, but their progress will mix. Progress is saved per browser, so 2 students on the same computer should use separate browser profiles or separate accounts. On separate devices there is nothing to think about.

What if they clear their browser or switch computers?

Progress lives on the device, so clearing site data or moving to a different computer starts the record fresh. The work itself is not lost — the notes they wrote are theirs — but the units-finished count and flashcard mastery restart. Picking one computer and staying on it is the simplest approach.

Does it need supervising?

No. The feedback is immediate and automatic, so nobody has to mark anything. The one worth looking at is Unit 10, because the handwritten notes are the clearest evidence of what your student can actually do.

How long does a sitting take?

It is built for an hour at a time rather than an afternoon. The course remembers where they stopped, so there is no penalty for putting it down for a week.

Is there a deadline?

Not a hard one. The pilot runs across 4 to 6 weeks and we will ask 3 short questions partway through, so somewhere in that window is ideal — but nothing locks or expires.

Is any of it graded, and is there an exam?

No exam. There are 24 questions before Unit 1 and the same 24 at the end, and the point is the distance between the two rather than either score. Nobody is marked and nothing is gated on it.

What does it cost after the pilot?

Not settled. The pilot is free and there is no card, no trial and nothing to cancel. If you would like to know before committing to next year, say so on the application and we will talk it through directly.