# Appointment Scheduling

The appointment guides for Veterian — booking on the calendar, the six statuses, and which changes notify the client.

Appointments put a client and their pet on the calendar. Once the patient arrives and is checked in, the appointment becomes the starting point of a visit record, so the calendar is where most of the clinic day begins.

## Start Here

If you are booking your first appointment, read [Create an appointment](/appointments/create-an-appointment) first. It covers the form, and the two fields — visit type and staff member — that narrow each other.

## Guides in This Section

| Guide | What it answers |
|---|---|
| [Create an appointment](/appointments/create-an-appointment) | The fields on the form, the availability warnings, booking a past date, and the reminder switch |
| [Appointment statuses](/appointments/appointment-statuses) | What each status means, which actions are available in each one, and which changes send the client a message |

## Before You Start

Two things have to be in place before anyone can be booked:

- **A staff member who can take the appointment.** Their calendar and visit-type settings decide whether they appear in the list at all. See [Users and roles](/settings/users-and-roles).
- **A client record.** You can create one from the appointment form itself without leaving it, but the client has to exist. See [Add a client](/patients/add-a-client).

## Related

- [Record a visit](/visits/record-a-visit) — what happens after the patient arrives
- [The Flowboard](/visits/flowboard) — today's bookings and visits on one board
- [Patient Records](/patients) — the clients and pets appointments are booked against