# Your Home Dashboard

Canonical page: https://carecard.ca/knowledge/care-card-guide/user-guide/home-dashboard
Language: en-CA









**Home** opens when you sign in. It shows what you need to do, and how far along
you are.

## The Welcome Tour [#the-welcome-tour]

The first time you sign in, a short Welcome Tour opens. It has six steps. One by
one, they highlight the Side Menu, the Institution Selector, the Notification
Bell, the Gear, and your Account.

<img alt="Welcome to CareCard tour dialog on the Home dashboard, showing Step 1 of 6 with Skip Tour and Next buttons" src="__img0" />

Use **Next** and **Back** to move. Use **Skip Tour** to close it. On the last
step, the button says **Get Started**.

<Callout type="info">
  After you finish or skip the tour, it does not come back. It can return if you clear your browser
  data, or if CareCard makes a new tour. You can turn it on or off with **Show onboarding tips** in
  [Settings](/care-card-guide/user-guide/settings).
</Callout>

## The Side Menu [#the-side-menu]

The Side Menu is on the left. On a phone it is hidden — open it with the menu
button. From top to bottom:

* **Institution Selector** — Switch between institutions when you have more than
  one. (On a phone, it is at the top.)
* **Your pages** — **Home**,
  [**Requirements**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/requirements),
  [**Institution**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/institution-access),
  [**My Certificate**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/certificate),
  [**Services**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/services),
  [**Messages**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/messages), and
  [**My Files**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/my-files). You only see the pages
  your role allows.
* **Your account** at the bottom — Open it for
  [**Profile**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/profile-update),
  [**Settings**](/care-card-guide/user-guide/settings), **Account**, and
  [**Logout**](/care-card-guide/account-access#signing-out).

**Messages** shows a red dot when you have unread replies.

## The Bell and Gear [#the-bell-and-gear]

Both sit at the top right of every page (in the top bar on a phone).

* **Notification Bell** — Shows unread **messages** only. It does not show
  institution requests. The red number is how many you have not read. Open the
  bell and pick **Messages** to read them. To hide the number, turn off **New
  messages** in [Settings](/care-card-guide/user-guide/settings).
* **Gear** — Change the **language** (English or Français), change the **theme**
  (Light or Dark), or **Logout**. If you also have staff roles, it lets you
  switch your view.

## Before You Share With an Institution [#before-you-share-with-an-institution]

Home shows a **Share your portfolio with institution** card instead of your
progress.

<img alt="CareCard Home before sharing with an institution: a Share your portfolio with institution card, a Share with Institution button, and the How CareCard works steps" src="__img1" />

Below it, **How CareCard works** shows four steps:

1. **Select the requirements** — Add them to your portfolio.
2. **Upload your documents** — Add the file each requirement asks for.
3. **Get verified** — A verifier checks and approves each one.
4. **Share your portfolio** — Send a share request to the institution.

Select **Share with Institution** to open this box:

<img alt="Share with institution dialog with Select Institution and Search Institution fields" src="__img2" />

Pick your institution, campus, and role. This works the same as [Share With
Institution](/care-card-guide/user-guide/institution-access).

## What's on the Home Screen [#whats-on-the-home-screen]

Once you share with an institution and get requirements, the Home Screen shows:

* **Welcome card** — The date, a greeting, your role, and a **Compliant** or
  **Action required** badge.
* **Your credential progress** — How far along you are, as a percent and a count
  for each group: **Complete**, **In review**, **Needs action**, and **Not
  started**.
* **Recent updates** — Your latest decisions and status changes.

What comes next depends on your requirements:

* If some still need work, an **Action needed** card lists them. Each has an
  **Open**, **Submit**, **Renew**, or **Review** button. **Submit** asks you to
  confirm first.
* Once every requirement is approved, a **You're all caught up 🎉** banner
  appears, with an **Upcoming renewals** card. It lists approved requirements
  that will expire, each marked **Due soon** or **On track**.

If you have shared with an institution but have no requirements yet, you see
**You're all set for now**.

## Submitted Role Requests [#submitted-role-requests]

After you share with an institution, Home shows a **Submitted role requests**
section under the welcome card. It lists each request with its
role, institution, campus, program, dates, and status. To learn what each status
means, see [Share With
Institution](/care-card-guide/user-guide/institution-access).