# Account Access
Canonical page: https://carecard.ca/knowledge/care-card-guide/account-access
Language: en-CA
Everything you do in CareCard starts with your account. This page covers the
whole journey: [Registering](#registering) and verifying your email, [Signing
in](#signing-in) and staying signed in, and [Signing out](#signing-out) when you
finish.
## Registering [#registering]
Create a CareCard account to begin preparing and submitting the documents you
need before your clinical placement. It takes two steps: fill in the sign-up
form, then verify your email with the code CareCard sends you.
### How to Register [#how-to-register]
Go to the sign-up page. The empty form asks for three details:
Fill it in:
* **Full name** — Use the name shown on your official records so reviewers can compare them. It can include letters, numbers, and `-_.,'( )`.
* **Email** — Used for sign-in and verification messages. Use an address you can access throughout your program.
* **Password** — 15–128 characters. Spaces, letters, numbers, symbols, non-English characters, and emoji are all allowed, and no mix of types is required. Select the eye icon inside the field to check what you typed.
* Select the checkbox next to **I agree to the terms and conditions**. **Sign Up** stays disabled until you do.
Select **Sign Up**. CareCard creates your account, signs you in automatically,
and sends you to the **Verify your email** page.
Already have an account? Select **Sign in** at the bottom of the form instead.
### Verify Your Email [#verify-your-email]
CareCard emails an eight-character verification code to the address you
registered with. Enter it on the **Verify your email** page and select **Verify
email**.
If the code doesn't arrive, select **Send a new code**. Codes are rate-limited:
when one was sent moments ago, CareCard asks you to use that code or wait 60
seconds before requesting another. If the page reports that the verification
email couldn't be sent, request a new code from that same page.
Once the code is accepted, the **Email verified** page shows your address with a
green **Verified** badge and a **Continue to Dashboard** button.
If it shows **Email verification pending** instead, select **Retry** so CareCard
can reload your current verification state.
A verified primary email is required before you can request institution access, so verify it right
after signing up.
## Signing In [#signing-in]
Sign in to view your requirements, upload documents, and track your submission
status. Choose whichever method suits you: your **password**, a **one-time code
emailed to you**, or a **one-time code texted to your phone**.
### How to Sign In [#how-to-sign-in]
Go to the sign-in page:
Fill it in:
* **Email** — The address you registered with.
* **Password** — Case-sensitive. Select the eye icon inside the field to check what you typed.
* **Remember me** — See [How long you stay signed in](#how-long-you-stay-signed-in) below.
Select **Sign In**. You land on your [Home
dashboard](/care-card-guide/user-guide/home-dashboard), where you can review your
progress and items that need attention. If you were sent to the sign-in page from
another CareCard page, you're returned there instead.
No account yet? Select **Sign up** at the bottom of the form and follow
[Registering](#registering) above.
Below the **Sign In** button, select **Email Sign In** for a code sent to your email, or
**Phone Sign In** for a code sent by text message:
Enter your email address or phone number, select **Send a sign-in code**, then select
**Continue** — it stays disabled until both are done. CareCard sends a one-time code and opens the
matching code-entry page:
Enter the code, choose **Remember me** if you want, and select **Sign In**. If the code doesn't
arrive, wait for the countdown shown on the page (for example, *Wait 53 seconds before requesting a
new code*), then select **Send a new code**.
Changed your mind? Select **Password Sign In** on either page to go back to signing in with your
password.
### How Long You Stay Signed In [#how-long-you-stay-signed-in]
* **Without Remember me** — Your session lasts about 10 minutes and is extended every time you use CareCard. Step away for longer and CareCard signs you out and asks you to sign in again.
* **With Remember me** — You stay signed in on that device for up to 7 days.
This applies to every method — password, email code, or phone code. Only select
**Remember me** on a device that is yours alone. On a shared or public computer,
leave it clear and [log out](#signing-out) when you finish.
Select **Forgot Password?**, next to **Remember me** above the **Sign In** button. In the **Reset
password** dialog, choose **Email** or **SMS**, enter your address or phone number, and select the
**Send a password reset code** checkbox. Select the **X** in the top corner to close it without
sending anything.
Select **Continue** — it stays disabled until the field is filled in and the checkbox is selected.
CareCard confirms that reset instructions are on the way and sends a code by the method you chose.
That message brings you to **Reset your password**:
1. Enter the eight-character **Password reset code** from that message.
2. Choose a **New password** — the same 15–128 character rule as registration.
3. Repeat it in **Confirm new password**, then select **Reset password**.
If the code has expired or never arrived, wait for the on-screen countdown, then select **Send a new
code** on that page. Then sign in with your new password.
If the reset message doesn't arrive within a few minutes, check your spam or junk folder before
requesting another one.
### Trouble Signing In [#trouble-signing-in]
Wrong email or password, account not found, signed out unexpectedly, an
unverified email, or a one-time code that never arrives — all are covered on
[Troubleshooting](/care-card-guide/user-guide/troubleshooting#getting-into-your-account).
## Signing Out [#signing-out]
Signing out ends your CareCard session on that device and returns you to the
sign-in page. Your uploads, submissions, and requirement statuses are saved on
your account, so nothing is lost.
### How to Sign Out [#how-to-sign-out]
Your account menu sits at the bottom of the left sidebar and shows your name and
email address. Select it, then select **Logout**.
On a phone or a narrow window the sidebar is hidden — open it with the menu button first, then use
the account menu at its bottom.
CareCard clears your session, shows a short **Logging out…** message, then returns
you to the sign-in page.
To use CareCard again, [sign in](#signing-in) with the same email and password.
### When CareCard Signs You Out Automatically [#when-carecard-signs-you-out-automatically]
* **After inactivity** — If you signed in without **Remember me**, your session ends after about 10 minutes of inactivity.
* **After 7 days** — If you signed in with **Remember me**, that session expires after 7 days on that device.
Either way you're sent back to the sign-in page, and after signing in again you
return to the page you were trying to open.
### On a Shared or Public Computer [#on-a-shared-or-public-computer]
* Don't select **Remember me** when you sign in.
* Select **Logout** as soon as you finish — closing the tab or the browser is not the same as logging out.
* Log out before handing the computer to someone else, even for a moment.
Your CareCard account holds your personal and health-related documents. Always log out on a
computer you share with anyone else.