These steps are for CoolFocus 5 (next.coolfocus.app).
A position is a role someone can fill when they serve your organization — for example Nurse, Sonographer, Counselor, Advocate, or Front Desk.
Positions answer “who is qualified to do this kind of work?” They are not the same as logging hours (time sheets), and they are not the same as a login account.
First-time setup: Create the roles your center actually uses, then add the right people from Staff and Volunteers to each role. You can fine-tune appointment rules and work schedules when you are ready for the calendar.
What positions are used for
Serve — keep a clear list of roles and who is qualified for each one
Scheduler — decide which appointment types need which roles, and which people can cover them
Home → Today's Appointments — shows today’s appointments that match positions on the signed-in person’s record (after their login is linked to that person)
Clinical review (when you use it) — mark a position as Clinical Reviewer so qualified people on that position can review and sign off on clinical documents
Positions do not replace time sheets. Hours still go on Serve → Time Sheets. Serve tracks people, roles, and hours — it does not run a volunteer shift calendar. The Scheduler owns who and when for appointments.
How positions link to Staff and Volunteers
Positions connect to person records, not directly to user logins.
1. The person must already be on Serve → Staff, Serve → Volunteers, or both. That comes from the Staff and Volunteer involvement checkboxes on their person record.
2. On the position, you add them under Qualified Team Members.
3. The Add Team Members picker searches Staff and Volunteers together — not your full contacts list — so you will not accidentally assign a client or donor.
Who can be added:
Volunteer only — yes
Staff only — yes
Both Staff and Volunteer — yes
Neither (client, donor, or other contact only) — no. Turn on Staff and/or Volunteer on their person record first.
On the position page, each qualified name links to their Serve record (Volunteers when that flag is on; otherwise Staff).
Someone can hold more than one position. Adding a position does not create a second person — it only marks that same person as qualified for the role.
Create a position
1. Open the Serve module.
2. In the left menu, open Positions.
3. Choose Create (or open an existing position to edit).
4. Enter a clear Name your team will recognize (for example “Nurse” or “Intake Advocate”).
5. Optionally set Description, Position Color, Sort Order, and whether the position is Active.
6. Turn on Clinical Reviewer only if people in this role should approve clinical documents (for example ultrasound or chart review). You can name the position anything; routing uses the flag, not the name. Adding a qualified team member who is not an administrator or consultant to a Clinical Reviewer position also marks them as a physician: they become selectable as the Physician on an ultrasound, and their login becomes a physician (reviewer) account that lands on Approvals. Use a Clinical Reviewer position only for people who only review, such as your physicians. Removing someone from the position does not undo this; contact support if someone was added by mistake. See Doc Alert and Chart Sign-Off for physician setup.
7. Save.
Path in short: Serve → Positions → Create.
Add Staff or Volunteers to a position
1. Open the position from Serve → Positions.
2. In Qualified Team Members, choose Add Team Members.
3. Search for the person and select them. You can set a Qualified Date (and an expiration date if your organization uses one).
4. Confirm the assignment.
Adding an administrator or consultant to a Clinical Reviewer position does not limit their account to reviewing clinical documents. They keep their full access, since they are not expected to work only as a reviewer.
If someone is missing from the picker
1. Open their person record (from Serve → Staff, Serve → Volunteers, or Contacts).
2. On Details / Involvement, check Staff and/or Volunteer.
3. Save, then return to the position and try Add Team Members again.
Do not create a second person record just so you can assign a position.
Who appears when you assign staff to an appointment
The staff picker on an appointment depends on the appointment type:
The appointment type needs a position (like Nurse or Sonographer): the list shows the people in that position's Qualified Team Members. To change who appears, open Serve → Positions, choose the position, and edit Qualified Team Members.
The appointment type doesn't need a position: the list shows anyone who has a position, has staff hours set, or is marked Staff or Volunteer. To take someone off, clear Staff or Volunteer under Involvement on their record's Details tab, remove them from any positions, and clear their staff hours.
The picker does not come from the Staff list alone, so someone who isn't on Serve → Staff can still appear if they hold a position or have staff hours.
First-time setup checklist
1. Create Staff and Volunteer person records for your team — see Staff & Volunteers.
2. Create the positions your center uses day to day.
3. Add each person to the positions they are qualified for.
4. When you are ready to take appointments, connect positions to appointment types and work schedules — see Staff Positions and Work Schedules.
5. Link each staff login to their person record so Home and My Schedule work — see Your login, People record, positions, and schedule views.
Best practice
Use role names your team already says out loud.
Keep only active positions you still use. If a position has already been used on appointments, make it inactive instead of deleting it when you no longer need it on the calendar.
Confirm Staff/Volunteer flags before you assign positions.
Remember the split: positions = qualification; time sheets = hours.
Related
Your login, People record, positions, and schedule views