Roles & permissions

Access in Cradlen is decided by two things working together: a person's role and their job function. Understanding the difference explains why two people with the same title can see different screens.

Roles vs. job functions

Role is the kind of account: owner, staff, or branch manager. It sets the broad shape of what someone can do.
Job function is what they actually do day to day: doctor, receptionist, or accountant. It refines access on top of the role, and the doctor job function is the clinical one.

This pairing produces the personas the app recognizes — for example an owner who is also a doctor sees clinical workspaces, while an owner who doesn't practice does not.

Why a clinical job function matters

Clinical surfaces — examination workspaces and patient clinical detail — are gated on a clinical job function, not just the role. An owner without one manages the clinic but won't open exam screens.

The roles

Owner — full clinic setup: organization and branch settings, staff, the service catalog and pricing, and reports.
Branch manager — operational oversight of a branch.
Staff — a team member who works within their job function and permissions.

The job functions

Doctor (clinical) — the examination workspace: schedule, visits, examinations, and patient history.
Receptionist — day-to-day operations: booking visits, checking patients in, creating invoices, and collecting payment.
Accountant — invoices, payments, cash sessions, and financial reports.

Role and job function combine: an owner or branch manager who also holds the doctor job function gets the clinical workspace on top of their management access — while the same role without it stays purely operational.

How this shows up in the app

The sidebar only lists what your persona can reach — there are no dead links to screens you can't open. The same permission rules are enforced again on the server, so the menu is a convenience, not the security boundary.

Setting roles

Assign roles and job functions when you invite or edit a team member under Staff. See Getting started for the invite flow.

Roles vs. job functions

Role is the kind of account: owner, staff, or branch manager. It sets the broad shape of what someone can do.

Job function is what they actually do day to day: doctor, receptionist, or accountant. It refines access on top of the role, and the doctor job function is the clinical one.

This pairing produces the personas the app recognizes — for example an owner who is also a doctor sees clinical workspaces, while an owner who doesn't practice does not.

Why a clinical job function matters

The job functions

Doctor (clinical) — the examination workspace: schedule, visits, examinations, and patient history.

Receptionist — day-to-day operations: booking visits, checking patients in, creating invoices, and collecting payment.

Accountant — invoices, payments, cash sessions, and financial reports.

How this shows up in the app

Setting roles

Assign roles and job functions when you invite or edit a team member under Staff. See Getting started for the invite flow.