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SNOMED CT Learning Resources

SNOMED International provides an E-Learning Platform to help you learn about SNOMED CT. These resources include tutorials, courses, learning pathways, and a document library that contains guides, specifications, and more.

While some of the resources can be accessed without logging into the SNOMED CT E-Learning Platform or by logging in as a Guest, some resources require a free SNOMED CT E-Learning account in order to access them. The instructions for signing up for an account are provided below.

SNOMED International provides most of their E-Learning resources free of charge to anyone residing in a Member country. All tutorials, courses, and learning pathways are free to US residents, while certifications are provided at a 50% discount.

Please follow the instructions below to create a new SNOMED CT E-Learning Platform account.

  1. Fill out the New Account form with your details.
  2. A confirmation email will be sent to your email address.
  3. Read your email and click on the web link it contains to verify your account.
  4. Your account will be confirmed and you will be able to log into the SNOMED CT E-Learning Platform.

If you do not receive a confirmation email within 10 minutes please read the advice provided here: http://snomed.org/el-noacc-msg

Create new account

The SNOMED CT Starter Tutorials provide an introduction to the key benefits and features of SNOMED CT.

You can access these tutorials from YouTube without creating a SNOMED CT E-Learning Platform account.

Note: To download the MP4 file, you must have an account on the E-Learning Platform and be logged in.

  • Why is SNOMED CT Needed?

    This video gives you a high-level introduction to why SNOMED CT is needed.

    Download MP4 file

  • What is SNOMED CT?

    This video gives you a high-level introduction to the key features of SNOMED CT.

    Download MP4 file

  • The Scope of SNOMED CT

    This video introduces the scope of SNOMED CT, including an introduction to the top-level hierarchies.

    Download MP4 file

  • Point of Care Benefits - part 1

    This video introduces some of the benefits that can be achieved using SNOMED CT at the point of care.

    Download MP4 file

  • Point of Care Benefits - part 2

    This video introduces some of the benefits that can be achieved using SNOMED CT at the point of care.

    Download MP4 file

  • SNOMED CT Secondary Use Benefits

    This video introduces some of the benefits that can be achieved using SNOMED CT for secondary purposes.

    Download MP4 file

The online courses provide a structured learning program for beginners through to advanced users of SNOMED CT and are free for anyone within the U.S.

A SNOMED CT E-Learning Server account is required in order to access these courses.

Online courses currently available include:

  • SNOMED CT Foundation Course

    The SNOMED CT Foundation Course provides an introduction to a broad range of SNOMED CT related topics, including the why, what and how of SNOMED CT.

    The SNOMED CT Foundation Course is a prerequisite for the more advanced SNOMED CT courses.

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  • SNOMED CT Implementation Course

    The SNOMED CT Implementation Course provides an in depth understanding of the SNOMED CT specific knowledge and skills required to implement a SNOMED CT enabled system - including preparing for implementation, understanding and using content, constraining and querying data, customization, configuration, distribution and maintenance.

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  • SNOMED CT Authoring Level 1 Course

    The SNOMED CT Authoring Level 1 course teaches you the knowledge and skills needed to perform basic SNOMED CT authoring tasks. It also prepares you for the SNOMED CT Authoring Level 1 certification exam.

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  • SNOMED CT Authoring level 2 Course

    The SNOMED CT Authoring Level 2 course helps experienced SNOMED CT authors to extend and develop their authoring skills. Students will learn more about SNOMED CT authoring processes, tooling, editorial rules, description logic, content review and quality assurance. This course also prepares you for the SNOMED CT Authoring Level 2 certification exam.

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  • SNOMED CT Terminology Services Course

    The SNOMED CT Terminology Services Certification (TSC) course teaches the principles of using SNOMED CT terminology services to search and retrieve SNOMED CT content.

    No prior knowledge of SNOMED CT is needed. However, to effectively participate in the course, you must have an understanding of retrieving, querying and updating data via REST APIs using JSON.

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The learning pathways contain a collection of E-Learning resources designed to teach a specific SNOMED CT skill set in a flexible way.

You can access these tutorials without creating a SNOMED CT E-Learning Server account.

Learning pathways currently available include:

  • SNOMED CT for Developers

    This learning pathway consists of a collection of E-Learning resources designed for software developers. The goal is to teach you enough about SNOMED CT in as short as possible a time to enable you to develop software applications that leverage its capabilities.

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  • SNOMED CT for Data Analyst

    This learning pathway consists of a collection of E-Learning resources designed for data analysts. The goal is to provide a solid understanding of how SNOMED CT can be used to support your clinical data analytics requirements.

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  • SNOMED CT for Clinicians

    SNOMED CT is a clinical terminology designed for clinicians. This short course introduces SNOMED CT to clinicians and answers some of the questions commonly asked, including:

    • What is SNOMED CT?
    • Why should I be interested in SNOMED CT?
    • How do I use SNOMED CT?
    • How do I implement SNOMED CT?
    • How do I contribute to SNOMED CT?

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  • SNOMED CT for Translators

    This short education pathway introduces SNOMED CT to Translators and covers the common requirements to understanding SNOMED CT. By completing this pathway a learner will have the basic SNOMED CT knowledge that a translator may require in performing translation. This will help anyone who is starting on their SNOMED translation journey.

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The certification exams allow individuals to be recognized for their capabilities in specific skill areas.

A SNOMED CT E-Learning Server account is required in order to access these certification exams. All certifications are provided at a 50% discount to US residents.

The following certifications are available:

  • SNOMED CT Authoring Level 1 Certification

  • SNOMED CT authoring level 1 certification recognizes your competence in performing basic SNOMED CT authoring tasks. This certification will be a prerequisite for advancing to the Authoring Level 2 course and certification, and is valid for 3 years.

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  • SNOMED CT Terminology Services Certification

  • The SNOMED CT Terminology Services Certification (TSC) course teaches the principles of using SNOMED CT terminology services to search and retrieve SNOMED CT content. A certification exam is also included at the end of this course, to test your competence in these skills. Students who pass this exam will achieve their SNOMED CT Terminology Services Certification (valid for 3 years).

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The SNOMED CT Presentation Library contains a wide range of presentations and videos on SNOMED CT.

A SNOMED CT E-Learning Server account is required in order to access these courses.

Please select one of the categories below to see a list of presentations available:

Learning resources designed to provide a general introduction to SNOMED CT. Topics covered include:

  • Getting Started - A great place to start if you are new to SNOMED CT or would like some background information.

  • Business Case - Understand the business benefits and cost investments involved in using SNOMED CT.

  • Implementation Roadmap - An overview of the stages, approaches and considerations in implementing SNOMED CT.

  • Implementation Examples - Examples and case studies of SNOMED CT implementations.

  • Licensing - Explains the licensing rules under which SNOMED CT may be used.


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Learning resources about SNOMED CT content and development rules. Topics covered include:


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Learning resources about SNOMED CT enabled terminology services. Topics covered include:

  • General - General information about SNOMED CT and terminology services.

  • Expressions - Explore the topic of SNOMED CT expressions.

  • Subsumption - Learn about subsumption and subsumption testing.

  • Extentions - Designing, developing and maintaining SNOMED CT extensions.

  • Translation - How SNOMED CT is translated into other languages and dialects.

  • Mapping - Mapping to or from SNOMED CT and related resources.

  • Other Code Systems - Consider SNOMED CT as it relates to other code systems.

  • Change Management - Aspects of change management when using SNOMED CT.

  • Software - Provides an overview of the source code repositories made available by SNOMED International and an intoduction to using SNOMED CT in a graph database.


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Learning resources about how to use SNOMED CT in health record systems. Topics covered include:

  • General - General information about SNOMED CT and record services.

  • Terminology Binding - Resources related to SNOMED CT and terminology binding.

  • User Interface - Examine aspects of the user interface when using SNOMED CT.

  • Storage - Learn about using SNOMED CT to support record storage.

  • Data Analytics - Analysis of health records supported by SNOMED CT.

  • Change Management - Consider aspects of change management when using SNOMED CT.


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Learning resources about SNOMED CT's technical specifications. Topics covered include:


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Content requests are submissions made to ask for new content or changes to current content in a SNOMED CT release.

Making and Managing Request Submissions


These presentations are designed to assist you in understanding the processes, criteria and considerations for creating and managing good quality request submissions.

No login is required to access these presentations. However, to download the handouts, you must have an account on the E-Learning Platform and be logged in.

Making a Request Submission

Managing Request Submissions

This library is a collection of SNOMED CT documents, including introductory material, practical guides, technical specifications and reference material. These documents are an important source of information for anyone engaged in the adoption, authoring, implementation, deployment, and use of SNOMED CT.

You can access these documents without creating a SNOMED CT E-Learning Server account

Please select one of the categories below to see a list of documents available:

  • Overviews

    Overviews include documents such as the Starter Guide and the Vendor Introduction to SNOMED CT.

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  • Guides

    Guides include guides such as the Editorial Guide, the EMR/EHR SNOMED CT Requirements Guide, and the ICD-10 Mapping Technical Guide.

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  • Specifications

    Specifications include specifications such as the Release File Specification, the Machine Readable Concept Model, and the Expression Constraint Language specifications.

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  • SNOMED CT Expo and SNOMED International Business Meetings

    This space provides access to abstracts and presentations presented at the SNOMED Expo and Showcase events since 2011. It also provides schedules for the April and October SNOMED International Business Meetings.

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  • Glossary

    The SNOMED CT Glossary provides consistent definitions for terms in used in SNOMED CT documentation, E-Learning presentations and related materials. In addition to terms that have specific meanings in relation to SNOMED CT, the glossary also includes more general words and phrases used in the healthcare, informatics and other related domains.

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Last Reviewed: January 12, 2023