For surgical technology programs

Clinical tracking built for surgical technology.

Attendance at assigned sites, a case journal that counts toward the AST 120, preceptor sign-off on the student’s own phone, and signed evaluations. All in the same app your students already use for exam prep, instruments and case preparation.

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No sign-up: explore a fictional program’s case reviews, sign-offs and attendance. Or request a pilot.

A clinical day in Academy

Check in at the site. The student taps Check In. Their location is checked once against the site’s boundary, on our server’s clock. Raw coordinates are not stored, and a reading outside the boundary goes to an instructor instead of being rejected.
Log each case. Date, surgeon, procedure, specialty, scrub role and the preceptor. A first-scrub case lists the five AST first-scrub criteria to confirm.
Check out. Hours are calculated from the punches, including across daylight-saving changes. A missed punch becomes a correction request for the instructor.
Hand the phone to the preceptor. A CST, the preceptor or a nurse such as the charge nurse confirms each case and the shift, then signs with a finger or types their name and credential. No login, no app, no email to answer.
The instructor reviews. Approve cases, accept sign-offs or mark them for further review, with flags for anything signed on a later day, away from the site, or by someone not on the site’s preceptor list.

What programs get

Case journal toward the 120. Approved cases count toward the 120-case requirement in AST’s Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology (7th edition), with its first-scrub minimums, diagnostic and delivery limits, and specialty breadth applied automatically.
Attendance at assigned sites, with site boundaries, assignment dates, overlap checks and instructor-reviewed corrections.
Preceptor sign-off for cases and shifts, drawn or typed, tied to the exact version of each case. If a student edits a case afterwards, it needs signing again. Programs can require an accepted sign-off before a case is approved.
Evaluations. Preceptors rate performance on the student’s phone; students rate their sites; instructors complete faculty evaluations for a procedure, date and role, signed by the instructor and then the student; and the program director can sign that the case requirements are met, with the counts saved alongside.
Reports. A dashboard, printable report and CSV export use the same calculation, so the numbers match in every conversation and every file.
Records that hold up. Every revision and review decision is kept, signatures and evaluations cannot be edited or deleted, and clinical records are kept for at least five years after a program’s subscription ends.

How Academy compares with typical clinical tracking systems

Programs often use a clinical tracking system such as Trajecsys, Rotation Manager, Exxat, CORE ELMS, Typhon or myClinicalExchange. These products differ from one another and change over time, so the right-hand column describes the category in general, not any one product. Check each product’s current features with its maker.

FirstCase Academy compared with typical clinical tracking systems
What you need	FirstCase Academy	Typical clinical tracking system
Built for	Surgical technology only	Usually many health professions, configured for each program
The 120-case requirement	AST 7th-edition rules built in: first-scrub minimums, caps and breadth counted automatically	Requirements are commonly set up by the program
Preceptor sign-off	On the student’s phone at the end of the shift; no preceptor account or email	Varies: some use preceptor logins or emailed requests
Attendance location	Checked at every punch against the site boundary; coordinates not stored; exceptions go to an instructor	Varies by product
Evaluations	Preceptor, student-site and faculty evaluations; faculty ones signed by instructor and student	Commonly included, often with program-built forms
Exam prep and study	In the same app: CST practice questions, instrument flashcards, case preparation	Usually a separate product
Price	Clinicals included in the School / Program plan; no separate per-student clinical fee	Varies; many charge a fee per student

Good to know before you switch

Academy focuses on what happens at the clinical site. It does not schedule rotations or place students with sites, track immunizations, background checks or other compliance documents, or let programs build their own evaluation forms, and every save needs an internet connection. If your program depends on those, keep them where they are today or ask us what is planned.

Records from another system are not imported. Students can enter earlier cases at sites assigned for those dates, and you keep your previous system’s export for its own history.

Try it with one cohort

The eight-week Paid Program Pilot costs $500 for up to 20 learners and two educators, with a setup session and an end-of-pilot review, and the fee is credited toward your first annual program agreement. The School / Program plan starts at $1,200 a year for 10 learners, then $60 per learner. See the homepage for current pricing and terms.

Frequently asked questions

Do preceptors need an account?

No. The student hands over their phone and the preceptor signs on it. Their name, credential, role and signature are kept with the student’s clinical record so instructors can review them. Because the signature is captured on the student’s device, instructors accept each sign-off or mark it for further review.

Does Academy verify that a student met the clinical case requirement?

No. Academy keeps the records and counts approved cases toward the requirement. Your program director decides whether the requirement is met and can record that decision in Academy with a signature. Academy is independent of AST, ARC/STSA and NBSTSA and does not report to them on your behalf.

Does it replace competency assessment?

No. Case counts and ratings support your educators’ and preceptors’ judgement. Your program’s policies, observation and sign-off remain essential.

How long are clinical records kept?

For at least five years after the program’s subscription ends, and the program can export them at any time. See the privacy policy.

Is patient information stored?

No, and students are told not to enter it. Case entries record the procedure, surgeon, specialty and role, never patient identifiers.

Trajecsys, Rotation Manager, Exxat, CORE ELMS, Typhon and myClinicalExchange are trademarks of their respective owners. FirstCase Academy and SurgSoul are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by them. They are named only as examples of clinical tracking systems.

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