Vocarno

Inspiration

A medical career should not lose its momentum at a border. For internationally educated physicians and nurses, the next chapter can involve unfamiliar credential requirements, English preparation, documents, and decisions made by several different organizations. Knowing what to do next can become a challenge of its own.

Vocarno brings those moving parts into one structured journey. The idea is simple: make the next step clear, keep the evidence behind it organized, and help each professional prepare with confidence.

What it does

Vocarno is an iPhone app for medical career preparation, with four focused spaces:

• Home brings the candidate's current stage, intake, and next actions together.
• Pathway organizes requirements, assigned preparation tasks, and review outcomes.
• Learning brings assigned materials and learning progress together with a career library.
• Passport keeps education, experience, documents, and a professional portfolio in one place.

Physicians and nurses follow distinct professional routes. The first physician reference pathway focuses on international medical graduates preparing for US residency; nursing follows its own credential and licensure requirements.

The current implementation includes medical intake, document review workflows, assigned learning and tasks, and communication of team decisions. Availability depends on the candidate's stage and on materials and assignments published by the operations team.

Vocarno Premium adds four original English-language career guides, professional CV export to PDF, and optional, clearly labeled Featured placement in the organization directory with separate consent. Core professional information and publication controls remain free.

How we built it

The candidate app uses React Native, Expo, and TypeScript. A NestJS API, PostgreSQL, and Prisma support persistent profiles, documents, learning, and review workflows. Better Auth handles authentication, while a Next.js web application provides the public website and organization and operations surfaces.

The RevenueCat SDK connects the mobile subscription experience to Apple in-app purchases. Purchase and restore flows are implemented, and the backend checks subscription entitlements and processes webhook events. Premium access is enforced on the server. Sandbox transactions and complimentary evaluation access are kept separate from paid production access.

Challenges we ran into

The hardest problem was representing progress honestly. Uploading a document is different from having it verified; completing preparation is different from receiving admission or a professional license. Vocarno keeps these states separate and ties reviews to specific evidence versions, so changed documents can trigger reassessment.

Another challenge was monetization in a product built on trust. Premium purchases unlock career tools and optional promotion. They do not improve a candidate's professional rating, change eligibility decisions, or bypass preparation requirements.

Accomplishments we're proud of

We connected a focused mobile experience to persistent backend workflows, built a usable career library and PDF portfolio export, and made consent and verification status visible parts of the product.

We also kept the interface calm: four stable tabs, generous spacing, restrained blue accents, and clear cards that explain the next action. A complex journey should feel understandable on a phone.

What we learned

Clarity is a product feature. Showing what is missing, what is awaiting review, and what a decision actually means is more useful than presenting a reassuring but misleading progress score.

We also learned to distinguish implementation from release evidence. The app's source, local tests, production services, store distribution, and a completed purchase each require their own verification.

What's next for Vocarno

Our next priorities are completing store-release and end-to-end purchase validation, expanding professionally reviewed pathway content, and testing the experience with more candidates and healthcare organizations.

Longer term, we plan to improve application coordination, reminders, and relocation support. These are roadmap items. Admission, licensure, visas, and employment remain independent external decisions; Vocarno helps people prepare without promising an outcome.

Built With

• better-auth
• expo.io
• nestjs
• nextjs
• postgresql
• prisma
• react-native
• revenuecat
• typescript