> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://planmyrounds.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Updating a doctor's profile and preferences

> Keep doctor profiles current so the scheduling engine has accurate departments, seniority, hour limits, and shift preferences to work with.

A doctor profile holds everything the [scheduling engine](/docs/scheduling-engine) needs to know to build a fair, valid roster. Keeping profiles up to date is the single most important thing you can do for clean roster output.

<Note>
  Only admins can edit doctor profiles.
</Note>

## What you can configure

| Field                           | What it does                                                                                                                 |
| ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**                        | The display name used on rosters and calendars.                                                                              |
| **Department**                  | Used for filtering when building rosters.                                                                                    |
| **Level**                       | *Senior* or *Junior*. Drives role-based shift requirements and is shown with an asterisk (`*`) on calendars for seniors.     |
| **Date of joining**             | Used to apply onboarding rules during the new doctor protection period (if configured).                                      |
| **Pod**                         | Optional sub-grouping within a department — useful for organising large teams.                                               |
| **Email**                       | Used for swap notifications and leave confirmation emails. Only editable on profiles that aren't linked to a member account. |
| **Phone**                       | Optional contact number.                                                                                                     |
| **Min and max hours per month** | The lowest and highest number of duty hours the engine will assign to this doctor in a given month.                          |
| **Excluded shift types**        | Shift types this doctor should never be assigned to, regardless of the period.                                               |
| **Status**                      | *Active* or *Inactive*. Inactive doctors are excluded from new rosters.                                                      |

<Tip>
  Excluded shift types are useful for permanent constraints — for example, a doctor who can never take night shifts. For one-off preferences, use [Shifts to Avoid](/docs/leave/applying-for-leave#mark-shifts-to-avoid) on a leave entry instead.
</Tip>

## Edit a doctor's profile

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Doctors">
    Go to **Doctors** in the sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the profile">
    Find the doctor and open their profile.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit">
    Select **Edit** (the pencil icon).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Make your changes and select **Save**. Changes take effect on the next roster you generate.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  If the profile is linked to a member account, the **email** field is managed by that member's account and can't be changed from the doctor profile.
</Note>

## Submit leave or preferences on a doctor's behalf

From a doctor's profile page you can also:

* [Submit a leave request](/docs/leave/applying-for-leave#submit-a-request-as-an-admin) for them.
* Add [shifts to avoid](/docs/leave/applying-for-leave#mark-shifts-to-avoid) as soft preferences.
* Review their leave history.

This is the usual flow for doctors who don't have a linked PlanMyRounds account — the admin manages everything for them.

## Link a doctor to a member account

If a doctor has a PlanMyRounds account, link it to their doctor profile. Once linked, they can sign in to see their own shifts, submit leave from **My Leaves**, and start [duty swaps](/docs/swaps/requesting-a-swap).

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the profile">
    Go to **Doctors** and open the doctor.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start the link">
    Select **Link Account** from the action menu.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Find the member">
    Search by name or email.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Confirm the link. The doctor can sign in straight away.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Read more at [Link or unlink accounts with doctors profile](/docs/team/link-or-unlink-accounts)\
  \
  The doctor needs to be a [member of your organisation](/docs/team/inviting-a-member) first. Invite them by email if they aren't yet.
</Note>

## Active vs. inactive

Use **Inactive** to take a doctor out of new roster generation without losing their history:

* They stay on past rosters and their leave history is preserved.
* They won't appear in the doctor pool when you build a new roster.
* Setting their linked member account to **Deactivated** automatically marks the doctor profile as Inactive too. See [Deactivating or removing a member](/docs/team/removing-a-user).

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="How the scheduler uses these fields" icon="microchip" href="/docs/scheduling-engine#doctor-parameters">
    Deep dive into every doctor parameter the engine reads.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Create a roster" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/docs/rosters/creating-a-roster">
    Put updated profiles to work in your next duty plan.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>