Terms and Conditions

Who this agreement is with

This agreement is between you and Scope Institute Pty Ltd (ABN 49 657 343 363), a registered training organisation (RTO) with RTO code 45946.

The agreement is made up of these terms, our Fees, Payments and Refunds Policy (the Fees policy) and your written offer, quote or booking confirmation. If an employer or other organisation books your place, the Fees policy and the 'Group and employer bookings' section below also apply to it.

Our two kinds of course

Nationally recognised training. The nationally recognised training we deliver is currently HLTAID011 Provide First Aid, HLTAID010 Provide basic emergency life support and HLTAID009 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation. When you are assessed as competent, you receive a Statement of Attainment, a nationally recognised certificate that lists the units of competency you completed. The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) regulates this training.

Echocardiography courses. Our echocardiography courses are non-accredited professional training. They are not nationally recognised, not accredited by the Australasian Sonographer Accreditation Registry (ASAR) and not approved by any college for continuing professional development (CPD). ASQA does not regulate them. Completing one earns a Scope Institute certificate.

How enrolment works

Before you pay, we give you the information you need to decide: the training we will provide, all fees and charges, the entry and physical requirements, and your obligations. This includes these terms, the Fees policy and our Student Handbook. You accept these terms as a separate step when you enrol, before you pay. Your enrolment is confirmed once you've accepted them and either your fee or deposit is paid or your employer has accepted our quote for your place.

First aid courses

1. Enrol through the first aid student portal, giving your details and your Unique Student Identifier (USI), a free national number that links your training records.
2. Complete our pre-enrolment check of your reading, writing, maths and digital skills (language, literacy and numeracy, or LLN) and of the physical requirements below. It tells us whether the course suits you and what support you might need.
3. Accept these terms and pay the fee by card, unless your employer is paying.
4. We confirm your booking in writing.

Echocardiography courses

1. Send us an enquiry or book a consultation.
2. We check that you meet the entry requirements on the course page. Depending on the course, this can include a review of your previous training or a consultation to check that the course suits you.
3. We send you a written offer setting out the course, dates, fee, any deposit, due dates and entry requirements.
4. You accept the offer and these terms in writing, and pay the deposit or fee in your offer by bank transfer.
5. We confirm your enrolment in writing.

Fees and payment

You must pay your fees by the due dates in your offer, quote or booking confirmation and the Fees policy. If an organisation books your place, it is responsible for paying.

We will only charge you fees that were set out in the Fees policy, on the course page, or in your offer or quote when you enrolled. We will not increase the fee for a course after you've enrolled in it. If you're having trouble paying, talk to us early.

Your responsibilities

You agree to:

• give us accurate information, and tell us if your contact details change
• attend the sessions your course requires, on time, and tell us as early as you can if you will be late or cannot come
• follow safety instructions, dress requirements and the rules of the venue or clinic
• treat staff, other students, volunteers and patients with respect, and not bully, harass or discriminate against anyone
• do your own work in assessments, as our Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy requires
• get permission from the trainer and everyone involved before you record or photograph a session
• look after equipment and facilities
• not attend under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs
• stay away if you are unwell with something contagious, and let us know.

Attendance

First aid. You must finish the online theory before your practical session. Bring photo ID, because we check your identity before assessment. If you arrive more than 30 minutes late, the trainer may not be able to let you join, because you'd miss safety instructions and parts of the assessment. We will then book you into another session. The Fees policy explains any re-booking fee.

Echocardiography. Each course page sets out its attendance requirements. In Basic and Applied Echocardiography, you must also bring a suitable adult volunteer, who agrees to be scanned, to every practical session. Missing sessions may stop you completing the course or moving on to the next stage, so tell us early if something gets in the way.

Physical requirements and adjustments

If you have a disability, injury, health condition or learning need, contact the Student Support team, preferably before you enrol. We will talk with you about reasonable adjustments, such as extra time, materials in another format or one-on-one support. If an adjustment is not possible, we will tell you why.

First aid

To be assessed as competent under the national units, everyone must be able to:

• perform at least 2 minutes of uninterrupted CPR on an adult manikin on the floor
• perform 2 minutes of CPR on an infant manikin on a firm surface
• use a training defibrillator
• respond to simulated incidents and report what happened.

If any of this might be difficult, tell us before you book and we'll talk through what's possible. We can change how we train and assess you, but not what the unit requires you to show. If you cannot meet a physical requirement even with adjustments, we cannot issue a Statement of Attainment for that unit.

Before your practical session, tell your trainer about any injury, pregnancy or medical condition that might affect you. We treat this as health information under our Privacy Policy.

Students under 18

The minimum age for our first aid courses is 14. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must consent to your enrolment and accept these terms for you before you start.

We follow the Victorian Child Safe Standards. Our Child Safety page explains our commitment and how to raise a concern.

Group and employer bookings

Employers and other organisations can book on-site first aid training for a group, priced in a written quote. When an organisation books for its staff:

• the organisation pays, and the Fees policy's rules for group bookings apply to it
• each participant is still our student and must enrol in the first aid student portal with their own details and USI, complete the pre-enrolment check and accept these terms
• we issue each Statement of Attainment to the participant within 30 calendar days of them completing the unit, even if the organisation has not paid our invoice, and we recover any unpaid amount from the organisation
• we send a copy of a participant's Statement of Attainment, or their results, to the employer only if the participant has given us written consent.

Assessment and certificates

First aid

If you're assessed as not yet competent, we will arrange another attempt with you. The Fees policy sets out how many further attempts are included. You can appeal an assessment decision under our Complaints and Appeals Policy, and a different assessor will review it.

We issue your Statement of Attainment within 30 calendar days of you completing all assessment requirements and paying all agreed fees (the legal maximum). We usually issue it within 1 business day of you completing both parts (the online theory and the practical session), once your USI is verified (or we have your exemption, if you have one) and your fees are paid. If your employer or another organisation booked your place, we do not hold your Statement of Attainment back while its invoice is unpaid. If you withdraw after completing a unit, you're still entitled to a Statement of Attainment for it within 30 calendar days.

You need a USI before we can issue your Statement of Attainment. Getting one is free: create or find yours at usi.gov.au. The Student Support team can help if you have trouble. We never print your USI on your certificate. If you think you're exempt from needing one, contact us.

Echocardiography courses

Some echocardiography courses include assessment tasks. Applied Echocardiography includes a progression review before Clinical Rotations. You can appeal an assessment or progression decision under our Complaints and Appeals Policy.

When you've completed all course requirements and paid all fees, we issue a Scope Institute certificate within 2 business days. It records the hours and topics you completed. Applied Echocardiography and Clinical Rotations also include a course logbook.

A Scope Institute certificate is not a Statement of Attainment or a qualification. It does not qualify you as a cardiac sonographer, which needs a separate university qualification. You may be able to self-record eligible hours towards CPD under your own professional body's rules, but we do not promise that any professional body will accept them.

Replacement and cancelled certificates

You can ask for a replacement certificate at any time, free of charge.

We may cancel (revoke) a certificate that was obtained through academic misconduct or fraud, or was issued in error. ASQA can also direct us to cancel a Statement of Attainment. Before we cancel a certificate, we will tell you why in writing and give you a chance to respond. The process is in our Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy.

Clinical training

Heartscope is a group of cardiology clinics run by our parent company, Scope Healthcare Limited. Clinical Rotations is unpaid and takes place at Heartscope clinics and approved clinical sites. Applied Echocardiography includes a clinic lesson at a Heartscope clinic.

Before Clinical Rotations

Before Clinical Rotations starts, you must give us a current police check and a Working with Children Check. You arrange and pay for both. You'll need the same checks for Industry Based Learning.

If you can't get either check in time, tell us early. If that means you can't start, we treat it as if you had withdrawn on the day you tell us, and any refund follows the Fees policy.

Police check results are sensitive information under the Privacy Act. We handle both checks under our Privacy Policy and share the results with the clinic only with your consent.

At the clinic

You must follow the clinic's policies, code of conduct, safety and infection control procedures and dress code, and the directions of your supervisor. Patient information is confidential: you must not copy, photograph or share patient images or details, including on social media.

Industry Based Learning

Industry Based Learning is a salaried trainee position with Heartscope, not a Scope Institute course. There's no Scope fee. Heartscope selects trainees through its own application and interview process, and places are limited. If you're offered a position, your employment agreement with Heartscope covers it, not these terms. Your university study and its costs are separate.

Course materials and your work

The copyright in our course materials belongs to us or to the organisations we license them from. The materials include videos, guides, assessment tools and learning portal content. You may use them for your own learning and professional reference. You must not copy, share, sell or publish them, or let anyone else use your portal login, without our written permission.

You own the work you create for your course. You allow us to copy, store and use it for assessment, record keeping, quality checks and audits by regulators. We will not use it for anything else, such as marketing, without your consent.

Photos and video

We will only photograph or film you for promotional use, such as on our website or social media, if you give us separate written consent. Saying no will not affect your enrolment or assessment. For students under 18, we also need written consent from a parent or guardian.

You can withdraw your consent at any time. Our Privacy Policy explains what happens then and how we handle images and other personal information.

Changes to your course or these terms

Changes to your course

We may need to change a course's dates, venue, trainer or content, for example when a national unit is updated. We will tell you in writing as soon as we can about any change that affects you, including a change in who owns Scope Institute or who delivers your training. If a change significantly affects you, such as a new start date or location, you can choose a full refund of the fees you have paid for the course or a free transfer.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms, for example when the law changes. Your enrolment is covered by the version you accepted when you enrolled. We will change the terms of a current enrolment only if the law requires it or the change does not disadvantage you. Before we do, we will tell you in writing. If the law requires a change and it disadvantages you, you can cancel and receive a refund of the fees for any part of your course not yet delivered.

If we cancel a course

If we cancel or postpone a course, we will tell you as soon as we can. You can choose a full refund of all fees you've paid for it or a free transfer to another date or intake. The Fees policy says how quickly we pay refunds.

If we suspend or cancel your enrolment

Your trainer or supervisor may ask you to leave a session or clinic if your behaviour is unsafe or seriously disrupts others. We may suspend or cancel your enrolment only for a serious reason, such as:

• serious or repeated misconduct, including unsafe practice, harassment or breaking a clinic's rules
• academic misconduct
• not meeting a requirement you must meet to continue safely, such as a clinic's required checks.

Before we decide, we will tell you in writing what the concern is and give you 10 business days to respond, in writing or at a meeting. For misconduct, we follow the steps in our Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy. We will give you our decision and reasons in writing. You can appeal it under our Complaints and Appeals Policy. If we cancel your enrolment because of your conduct, we work out any refund under the Fees policy as if you had withdrawn on the date of our decision. If we cancel it for a reason that is not your fault, we refund the fees for the part of the course not yet delivered.

If your fees are overdue, we may pause your access to training after giving you 10 business days' written notice, as the Fees policy explains. A pause isn't a suspension: your enrolment continues, and your access returns once the fees are paid.

Our responsibilities and your consumer rights

Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any right or remedy you have under the Australian Consumer Law.

Our courses come with consumer guarantees. We must provide them with due care and skill, they must be reasonably fit for any purpose you told us about, and we must deliver them within a reasonable time. If we do not meet a guarantee, you are entitled to a remedy. The Fees policy explains refunds for a major failure.

What we cannot promise

We cannot guarantee that you will:

• be assessed as competent, or finish within a set time
• get a job, a promotion or a particular income
• be selected for Industry Based Learning, which Heartscope decides
• be accepted into a university course, or have your training recognised by a university or professional body.

Check with your employer whether a first aid Statement of Attainment meets its requirements.

Privacy, complaints and our other policies

Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle your personal information, including your USI and any health information, and what we must report to government about nationally recognised training.

If you're unhappy, talk to your trainer or the Student Support team. You can make a formal complaint at any time, and appeal a decision within 20 business days of being told about it, under our Complaints and Appeals Policy. That policy also lists outside bodies you can contact.

These policies also apply to you:

• Student Handbook: an overview of studying with us
• Fees, Payments and Refunds Policy
• Complaints and Appeals Policy
• Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy
• RPL and Credit Transfer Policy: getting credit for previous study or experience
• Privacy Policy
• Child Safety

Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of Victoria. You or we can take a dispute to the courts or tribunals of Victoria, including the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). This does not limit your right to go to any other court, tribunal or regulator that can deal with it.

Contact us

• Scope Institute Pty Ltd, ABN 49 657 343 363, RTO code 45946
• Street address: Unit 1, 202 Jells Road, Wheelers Hill VIC 3150
• Postal address: PO Box 3533, Wheelers Hill VIC 3150
• Phone: 1300 508 809
• Email: admin@scopeinstitute.edu.au
• Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (Melbourne time)