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

# Account Setup

> Create your Carelane account and configure your profile

This guide walks you through creating your Carelane account and completing your initial setup.

## Creating Your Account

<Steps>
  <Step title="Receive an Invitation">
    You will receive an email invitation from an organization administrator or study team member. Click the invitation link to begin.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign Up">
    Create your account using your email address. You can sign up with:

    * Email and password
    * Google account (SSO)
    * Microsoft account (SSO)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete Your Profile">
    After signing in, complete your profile information:

    * Display name
    * Professional title
    * Contact information
  </Step>

  <Step title="Accept Terms">
    Review and accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to activate your account.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Joining an Organization

When you accept an invitation, you automatically join the inviting organization with the assigned role. You can belong to multiple organizations simultaneously.

<Accordion title="Switching Between Organizations">
  If you belong to multiple organizations, use the organization switcher in the navigation header to change your current context. Your last selected organization is remembered for future sessions.
</Accordion>

## Profile Settings

Access your profile settings to:

* Update your display name
* Change your email address
* Manage notification preferences
* Configure your account security settings

<Tip>
  Keep your profile information current, as it appears in audit trails and is visible to other team members in your studies.
</Tip>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Navigation Guide" icon="compass" href="/getting-started/navigation">
    Learn how to navigate the Carelane interface.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Organizations" icon="building" href="/getting-started/organizations">
    Understand how organizations work in Carelane.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>