Booking requests

With a Published or Unlisted profile, you can share a booking page at a link like sessional.com.au/request/your-slug. You can share that link in an email signature, on your CV, or in a message to a workplace manager. A workplace opens it and fills in a short form: who they are, their work email, the shift type, the date and time, the rate they are offering, and any notes.

The workplace does not need a Sessional account. There is no sign-up, no app to download, and no agency sitting in the middle. They submit the form and you stay in control of what happens next.

Each booking request carries the details you need to make a decision quickly:

• Workplace name: the clinic, pharmacy, hospital, or aged-care provider asking for you
• Who is booking: contact name and work email of the person sending the request
• Shift type: described in your profession's own language, for example standard consults, theatre lists, dispensary cover, or ward shifts
• Date and time: a start and finish in the timezone shown on the form
• Proposed rate: the proposed amount and pay basis, such as hourly, daily or per session
• Notes: parking, expected patient numbers, clinical software, or anything else the workplace wants you to know

A request does not land in your dashboard the moment it is submitted. Sessional first emails the work address on the form with a confirmation link. The sender opens the link and confirms on the page before the request appears in your dashboard. An email notification is sent to you when Booking requests emails are enabled.

You can also switch on a health-sector email filter from your profile. With it on, the form only accepts recognised health-sector domains (such as a state health service or a hospital group) plus any workplace domains you add yourself. Check the sender and workplace details before accepting, even when this filter is on.

Sometimes you want to stop one specific workplace from reaching you, perhaps somewhere that didn't pay, or wasn't a good fit. From Profile → Visibility you can add up to 50 blocks, either a single email address or a whole domain (which also covers its subdomains). Requests matching those blocks are rejected, and you can attach a short private note to each block to remember why.

A matching block takes priority. It applies even when the health-sector filter is switched off, and it overrides your approved domains, so blocking takes precedence over anything that would otherwise let a request through.

The requests list can show these statuses. Opening a request does not change its status:

1. Submitted: the workplace has confirmed by email and the request is waiting on you
2. Under review: a request marked for review
3. Invited: a request marked as a viable booking opportunity; this status does not send a message
4. Accepted: you have said yes and a confirmed shift is created automatically
5. Declined: you have turned it down
6. Withdrawn: the request was pulled before anyone accepted it

The confirmation link expires after 24 hours and can be used once. Unconfirmed drafts are excluded from the requests list.

Choose Accept: create shift to accept a request. Sessional:

• Creates a confirmed shift with the workplace, date, time, and rate from the request
• Attempts to mark the time as booked on your availability calendar; check the calendar after accepting
• Sets payment terms ready for invoicing once the shift is delivered
• Records the event in your audit trail

After acceptance, Sessional attempts to email the requester a booking confirmation with a workplace access link. This acceptance email is not restricted to Plus or Pro. The shift then appears in your shifts list, ready to be marked delivered and invoiced.

If a request does not suit, choose Decline. This changes its status and moves it into past requests. Contact the workplace directly to explain your decision. Declining does not change your profile visibility in the locum directory.

Not ready to commit? Use the contact details shown on the request to confirm the finish time, ask about the work, or discuss the rate directly. Booking messaging becomes available after acceptance when the workplace starts a conversation from its booking link, on Plus or Pro.

Sessional is not an agency. There is no placement fee, no commission, and no per-booking charge. You agree the rate directly with the workplace. Sessional is your admin layer across every source of work: direct bookings, agency shifts, and repeat clients alike.