AI for professionals
AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use
Use AI tools safely in clinical work: prompting, AI scribes, reading evidence, judging a model, and privacy and legal questions.
AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for doctors, residents and medical students. It has 9 modules and takes about 11 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 11 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Doctors, residents and medical students
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- A free account on one general AI assistant, and a free PubMed account. Nothing to install. Never use patient-identifiable data in a public tool. Hardware: any computer or phone with a browser.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Explain in plain words how a clinical AI model learns
- Write de-identified prompts that produce useful drafts
- Use an AI scribe with consent and a proper review
- Read evidence faster without trusting an AI summary blindly
- Work out what a model's sensitivity and specificity mean for patients
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Doctors, residents and medical students.
Level: Beginner. Beginner. For doctors, residents and senior medical students. No statistics beyond what you used in medical school, and no coding.
What you need
Software: A free account on one general AI assistant, and a free PubMed account. Nothing to install. Never use patient-identifiable data in a public tool..
Hardware: Any computer or phone with a browser.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
9 modules in order, at your own pace. 11 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1Where AI already sits in a doctor's day11m
- 2How machines learn: intuition for clinicians, with lab practice: 59m
- 3Prompt thinking for clinicians, with lab practice: 1h 2m
- 4Documentation, AI scribes and the tools worth paying for, with lab practice: 35m
- 5Reading journals and synthesising evidence with AI1h 3m
- 6When is an AI actually useful? Evaluating a model, with lab practice: 1h 2m
- 7Bias, fairness and the black box, with lab practice: 51m
- 8Ethics, privacy, law and trust1h 18m
Show the other 1 modules
- 9Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Never use patient-identifiable data in a public AI tool.
Show what to download (5 tools)
Required
- 01Free
PubMed and My NCBI
US National Library of Medicine (NCBI), in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser
- Account
- None needed
PubMed is free to search. Many articles link to free full text; others are behind the publisher's paywall.
Steps
- 1.Open pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and type your search terms.
- 2.Use the filters on the left, such as Free full text and publication date.
- 3.To save searches, click Log in and sign in with Login.gov, Google, ORCID, Microsoft, eRA Commons or an NIH account.
- 4.Use Save or Create alert under the search box to keep a search or get email updates.
- Tick the Free full text filter to find articles you can read without a subscription.
Open PubMed and My NCBIpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
One AI assistant
Any one is enough.
- 02Free plan with limits
ChatGPT
OpenAI, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus mobile and desktop apps
- Account
- A free OpenAI account
The Free plan allows everyday text chats. File uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have tighter limits than paid plans, and ads may appear in some countries. Paid plans raise the limits.
Steps
- 1.Open chatgpt.com.
- 2.Click Sign up and create an account with your email, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
- 3.Verify your email and confirm your details.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Do not paste personal data, passwords or confidential work files.
- ChatGPT tells you when you reach a limit. Wait for it to reset or switch to a lighter task.
Open ChatGPTchatgpt.com - 03Free plan with limits
Claude
Anthropic, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus desktop and mobile apps
- Account
- A free Claude account (you must be 18 or over)
The Free plan covers chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and Artifacts. Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window and depend on message length and features used. Paid plans give more usage.
Steps
- 1.Open claude.ai (or see the plans at claude.com/pricing).
- 2.Sign up with your email or Google account and confirm your email.
- 3.Confirm you are 18 or over and accept the terms.
- 4.Type your question in the message box.
- Long conversations and large files use up your limit faster. Start a new chat for a new topic.
- Do not paste personal data or confidential work files.
Open Claudeclaude.com - 04Free with limits
Google Gemini
Google, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Android and iOS apps
- Account
- A free Google account
Free with a Google account, including a Flash model, limited access to the Pro model, image generation, Deep Research and Gems. Paid Google AI plans give higher limits. Some features require you to be 18 or over.
Steps
- 1.Open gemini.google.com.
- 2.Sign in with your Google account.
- 3.Accept the terms the first time you use it.
- 4.Type your question or upload a file in the prompt box.
- Use a personal Google account. Work or school accounts depend on your administrator's settings.
Open Google Geminigemini.google.com - 05Free
Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Microsoft, in the browser
- Runs on
- Any modern web browser, plus Windows, macOS, Android and iOS apps
- Account
- None needed
Microsoft Copilot is free for individuals; you must be at least 13 (older in some countries). Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is included at no extra cost for organisations with an eligible Microsoft 365 licence and needs a work or school (Microsoft Entra ID) account.
Steps
- 1.Open copilot.microsoft.com.
- 2.Optionally click Sign in and use your personal Microsoft account.
- 3.Type your question in the message box.
- 4.For work or school use, sign in at microsoft365.com with your organisation account and open Copilot Chat.
- Copilot Chat with a work or school account adds enterprise data protection. Use it for work material if your organisation provides it.
Open Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chatcopilot.microsoft.com
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Practise the questions a clinician should ask of an AI tool in the AI Workbench: how it was tested, who it treats unfairly, what data it needs and where it must stop.
- Privacy firstAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Privacy first
- No-show model and a safe AI noteAI Workbench, about 30 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): No-show model and a safe AI note
- Choose the metric and the thresholdAI Workbench, about 25 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Choose the metric and the threshold
- Fairness checkAI Workbench, about 30 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Fairness check
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 8 hours
Evaluating an AI scribe for a hospital department: an evaluation plan, a risk register, a safe-use procedure and a pilot report
Plan and evaluate an ambient AI scribe in a hospital outpatient clinic, as the clinical lead responsible for patient safety. Write the evaluation protocol, build the risk register, write the safe-use procedure and report a four-week pilot with error rates and time saved. No real patient data is used at any point.
- 4documents in the pack
- 5steps to follow
- 4things to hand in
- 8 hof work, at your pace
- PlanEvaluation protocol: ambient AI scribe pilot, medicine outpatient clinic
- Risk registerRisk register: ambient AI scribe pilot
- ProcedureSafe use of the ambient AI scribe in the medicine outpatient clinic
- ReportPilot report: ambient AI scribe, medicine outpatient clinic, weeks 1 to 4
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
AI for Project Management
Eight short weeks of using AI for charters, schedules, risks, minutes and status reports, and of knowing where its estimates fall short: notes, diagrams, a few videos and worked exercises. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipMore free courses
Roles that use this skill
- Analyst
- Operations specialist
- Project coordinator
- Team lead using AI tools
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: NBEMS, AI for Physicians, My AI Doctor. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) · AI for Physicians · My AI Doctor. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Is this course medical advice?
No. It teaches doctors how to use AI tools safely in their own work: documentation, evidence reading, evaluating tools, and the ethics and law around them. It never tells you how to treat a patient, and nothing in it replaces your clinical judgement.
Who is the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course for?
Practising doctors, residents and senior medical students. Nurses and allied health professionals will find most of it useful too, and there is a separate course written for them.
How is it different from the NBEMS AI in Healthcare programme?
It is built on NBEMS's free public lectures, credited on each module, but it is not the NBEMS programme and is not affiliated with NBEMS. EDWartens added short lessons on scribes and tools, notes with worked problems, a hospital evaluation project and an assessment. If you can attend the NBEMS programme itself, we recommend it.
How long does the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course take?
About 10 hours of lessons, notes and practice, which most doctors spread over two to four weeks. The optional project, evaluating an AI scribe for a hospital department, adds about eight hours.
Do I need statistics or coding?
No coding. The only statistics are sensitivity, specificity and predictive values, worked through with simple tables.
Can I use patient data in the exercises?
No. Every exercise uses invented or de-identified cases. The course teaches you never to put identifiable patient information into a public AI tool.
Is the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course really free?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate does the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course give?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is not a medical qualification, CME credit or regulatory approval of any kind, and we never describe it as one.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course cover, module by module?
The AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course has 9 modules. It opens with "Where AI already sits in a doctor's day", goes through "How machines learn: intuition for clinicians", "Documentation, AI scribes and the tools worth paying for", "When is an AI actually useful? Evaluating a model" and "Ethics, privacy, law and trust" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course?
After the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course: Explain how a clinical AI model learns, and why it can fail on a new population; Write de-identified prompts that give useful clinical drafts; Use an AI scribe with consent and a proper review before signing. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course, and does it cost anything?
For the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course, software: A free account on one general AI assistant, and a free PubMed account. Nothing to install. Never use patient-identifiable data in a public tool. Hardware: any computer or phone with a browser. The course itself is free.
Is the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course suitable for me, and what level is it?
AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use is rated beginner. Beginner. For doctors, residents and senior medical students. No statistics beyond what you used in medical school, and no coding. It is written for doctors, residents and medical students, and takes about 11 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course?
Skills from the AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use course (for example: explain how a clinical AI model learns, and why it can fail on a new population) are used in roles such as analyst, operations specialist, project coordinator and team lead using AI tools, and in physician work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
AI for Doctors: Clinical Notes, Research and Safe Use, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.