Skills you will gain
- FDA Regulation Interpretation: Understand and apply FDA regulations, guidelines, and international standards for medical device software.
- Software Validation Strategy: Develop effective validation strategies based on software level of concern.
- Device & System Software Validation: Differentiate between validation needs for device, manufacturing, and quality system software.
- Test Documentation Creation: Write software validation plans, test procedures, and reports that meet regulatory requirements.
- Verification vs. Validation: Clearly distinguish between verification and validation in software testing for medical devices.
Course Description
With the increasing number of medical devices running on software, there is an enormous demand for quality assurance and regulatory affairs professionals who can address the validation, documentation, compliance and submission requirements unique to software-controlled devices. This how-to course covers the requirements for validation for all types of software, including Class II and III embedded medical device software, digital health apps, software as a medical device, medical device data systems, manufacturing software, automated test software, process software, quality system software, and spreadsheets. Students engage in interactive classroom discussions and an in-depth survey of the regulations, guidance documents and standards specific to medical device software and validation.
You will work on a project designed to help you determine software level of concern, define a software validation strategy, write a software validation plan, create software validation test procedures and test cases, and write a software validation report. Overall, you will learn how to create these types of documents and activities while also learning the regulatory requirements and expectations for software used in the medical device industry.
Topics
- FDA Regulated Software, Regulations, Guidance Documents and International Standards
- Detailed look at IEC 62304
- Software Validation Planning and Strategy
- Digital Health
Additional Information
Most required tools and materials are available on the FDA website for free.
- Live-Online Attend via Zoom at scheduled times.
| Date | Start Time | End Time | Meeting Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, 02-28-2026 | 10:00am | 3:30pm | Live-Online | REMOTE |
| Sat, 03-07-2026 | 10:00am | 3:30pm | Live-Online | REMOTE |
| Sat, 03-14-2026 | 10:00am | 3:30pm | Live-Online | REMOTE |
| Sat, 03-21-2026 | 10:00am | 3:30pm | Live-Online | REMOTE |
This class is offered in an online synchronous format. Students are expected to log into this course via Canvas at the start time of scheduled meetings and participate via Zoom, for the duration of each scheduled class meeting.
To see all meeting dates, click “Full Schedule” below.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
Required Text:
Introduction to Medical Software, Xenophon Papademetris, Ayesha N. Quraishi and Gregory P. Licholai, Cambridge University Press, 2022. ISBN: 9781009090148
This course applies to these certificate programs: