Use a specialty dropdown when adding practitioners.

Replace free-text specialty on practitioner and team-invite forms with a shared selectable list so clinicians pick a known specialty.

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>

app/Http/Controllers/Care/MemberController.php

@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ class MemberController extends Controller
             'branches' => $branches,
             'roles' => config('care.roles'),
             'mailboxOptions' => $mailboxOptions,
+            'specialties' => Practitioner::specialtyOptions(),
         ]);
     }
 
@@ -92,9 +93,13 @@ class MemberController extends Controller
             ],
             'create_practitioner' => ['sometimes', 'boolean'],
             'practitioner_name' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
-            'specialty' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
+            'specialty' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255', Rule::in(Practitioner::specialtyOptions())],
         ]);
 
+        if (($validated['specialty'] ?? '') === '') {
+            $validated['specialty'] = null;
+        }
+
         if (! empty($validated['branch_id'])) {
             $branch = Branch::owned($owner)->findOrFail($validated['branch_id']);
             abort_unless($branch->organization_id === $organization->id, 404);

app/Http/Controllers/Care/PractitionerController.php

@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ class PractitionerController extends Controller
             'branches' => $this->activeBranches($owner, $organization->id),
             'departments' => $this->activeDepartments($owner, $organization->id),
             'members' => $this->linkableMembers($owner, $organization->id),
+            'specialties' => Practitioner::specialtyOptions(),
         ]);
     }
 
@@ -101,6 +102,7 @@ class PractitionerController extends Controller
             'branches' => $this->activeBranches($owner, $organization->id),
             'departments' => $this->activeDepartments($owner, $organization->id),
             'members' => $this->linkableMembers($owner, $organization->id),
+            'specialties' => Practitioner::specialtyOptions($practitioner->specialty),
         ]);
     }
 
@@ -154,9 +156,15 @@ class PractitionerController extends Controller
      */
     protected function validated(Request $request, string $owner, int $organizationId): array
     {
+        $allowedSpecialties = Practitioner::specialtyOptions(
+            $request->route('practitioner') instanceof Practitioner
+                ? $request->route('practitioner')->specialty
+                : null,
+        );
+
         $validated = $request->validate([
             'name' => ['required', 'string', 'max:255'],
-            'specialty' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255'],
+            'specialty' => ['nullable', 'string', 'max:255', Rule::in($allowedSpecialties)],
             'branch_ids' => ['required', 'array', 'min:1'],
             'branch_ids.*' => [
                 'integer',
@@ -166,6 +174,10 @@ class PractitionerController extends Controller
             'member_id' => ['nullable', 'integer', 'exists:care_members,id'],
         ]);
 
+        if (($validated['specialty'] ?? '') === '') {
+            $validated['specialty'] = null;
+        }
+
         if (! empty($validated['department_id'])) {
             $department = Department::owned($owner)->with('branch')->findOrFail($validated['department_id']);
             abort_unless($department->branch?->organization_id === $organizationId, 404);

app/Models/Practitioner.php

@@ -64,6 +64,25 @@ class Practitioner extends Model
         return $this->hasMany(Appointment::class, 'practitioner_id');
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Specialty dropdown options. Preserves a legacy/custom value when editing.
+     *
+     * @return list<string>
+     */
+    public static function specialtyOptions(?string $current = null): array
+    {
+        $options = array_values(array_filter(
+            config('care.practitioner_specialties', []),
+            fn ($label) => is_string($label) && $label !== '',
+        ));
+
+        if ($current !== null && $current !== '' && ! in_array($current, $options, true)) {
+            $options[] = $current;
+        }
+
+        return $options;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Select option label — includes branch context when available.
      */

config/care.php

@@ -43,6 +43,41 @@ return [
         'child_welfare' => 'Child Welfare Clinic',
     ],
 
+    /*
+    | Practitioner specialty options (Admin → Practitioners / Team invite).
+    | Stored as free-text labels on care_practitioners.specialty.
+    */
+    'practitioner_specialties' => [
+        'General Practice',
+        'Internal Medicine',
+        'Nursing',
+        'Outpatient',
+        'Emergency',
+        'Laboratory',
+        'Radiology',
+        'Pharmacy',
+        'Maternity',
+        'Dentistry',
+        'Ophthalmology / Eye care',
+        'Physiotherapy',
+        'Blood Bank',
+        'Cardiology',
+        'Psychiatry',
+        'Pediatrics',
+        'Orthopedics',
+        'ENT',
+        'Oncology',
+        'Renal Care',
+        'Surgery',
+        'Vaccination & Immunization',
+        'Pathology',
+        'Infusion Centre',
+        'Dermatology',
+        'Podiatry',
+        'Fertility',
+        'Child Welfare Clinic',
+    ],
+
     /*
     | Specialty practice modules (Settings → Modules).
     | Pro-gated via plans.*.features specialty_modules — expansions beyond core

resources/views/care/admin/members/create.blade.php

@@ -78,8 +78,13 @@
                         </div>
                         <div>
                             <label class="block text-xs font-medium text-slate-600">Specialty (optional)</label>
-                            <input type="text" name="specialty" value="{{ old('specialty') }}"
-                                   class="mt-1 w-full rounded-lg border-slate-300 text-sm" placeholder="General practice">
+                            <select name="specialty" class="mt-1 w-full rounded-lg border-slate-300 text-sm">
+                                <option value="">None</option>
+                                @foreach ($specialties as $specialty)
+                                    <option value="{{ $specialty }}" @selected(old('specialty') === $specialty)>{{ $specialty }}</option>
+                                @endforeach
+                            </select>
+                            @error('specialty')<p class="mt-1 text-sm text-red-600">{{ $message }}</p>@enderror
                         </div>
                     </div>
                 </div>

resources/views/care/admin/practitioners/create.blade.php

@@ -12,7 +12,13 @@
             </div>
             <div>
                 <label class="block text-sm font-medium">Specialty (optional)</label>
-                <input type="text" name="specialty" value="{{ old('specialty') }}" class="mt-1 w-full rounded-lg border-slate-300 text-sm" placeholder="General practice">
+                <select name="specialty" class="mt-1 w-full rounded-lg border-slate-300 text-sm">
+                    <option value="">None</option>
+                    @foreach ($specialties as $specialty)
+                        <option value="{{ $specialty }}" @selected(old('specialty') === $specialty)>{{ $specialty }}</option>
+                    @endforeach
+                </select>
+                @error('specialty')<p class="mt-1 text-sm text-red-600">{{ $message }}</p>@enderror
             </div>
             <fieldset>
                 <legend class="block text-sm font-medium">Branches</legend>

resources/views/care/admin/practitioners/edit.blade.php

@@ -11,7 +11,13 @@
             </div>
             <div>
                 <label class="block text-sm font-medium">Specialty (optional)</label>
-                <input type="text" name="specialty" value="{{ old('specialty', $practitioner->specialty) }}" class="mt-1 w-full rounded-lg border-slate-300 text-sm">
+                <select name="specialty" class="mt-1 w-full rounded-lg border-slate-300 text-sm">
+                    <option value="">None</option>
+                    @foreach ($specialties as $specialty)
+                        <option value="{{ $specialty }}" @selected(old('specialty', $practitioner->specialty) === $specialty)>{{ $specialty }}</option>
+                    @endforeach
+                </select>
+                @error('specialty')<p class="mt-1 text-sm text-red-600">{{ $message }}</p>@enderror
             </div>
             <fieldset>
                 <legend class="block text-sm font-medium">Branches</legend>

tests/Feature/CarePractitionerBranchesTest.php

@@ -24,14 +24,14 @@ class CarePractitionerBranchesTest extends TestCase
         $this->actingAs($owner)
             ->post(route('care.practitioners.store'), [
                 'name' => 'Dr. Tele',
-                'specialty' => 'General',
+                'specialty' => 'General Practice',
             ])
             ->assertSessionHasErrors('branch_ids');
 
         $this->actingAs($owner)
             ->post(route('care.practitioners.store'), [
                 'name' => 'Dr. Tele',
-                'specialty' => 'General',
+                'specialty' => 'General Practice',
                 'branch_ids' => [$east->id, $west->id],
             ])
             ->assertRedirect(route('care.practitioners.index'));
@@ -51,6 +51,37 @@ class CarePractitionerBranchesTest extends TestCase
             ->assertDontSee('All branches');
     }
 
+    public function test_practitioner_create_form_uses_specialty_dropdown(): void
+    {
+        $this->withoutMiddleware(EnsurePlatformSession::class);
+
+        [$owner] = $this->seedOrg();
+
+        $this->actingAs($owner)
+            ->get(route('care.practitioners.create'))
+            ->assertOk()
+            ->assertSee('name="specialty"', false)
+            ->assertSee('<select name="specialty"', false)
+            ->assertSee('General Practice')
+            ->assertSee('Dentistry')
+            ->assertDontSee('placeholder="General practice"', false);
+    }
+
+    public function test_practitioner_rejects_unknown_specialty(): void
+    {
+        $this->withoutMiddleware(EnsurePlatformSession::class);
+
+        [$owner, $organization, $east] = $this->seedOrg();
+
+        $this->actingAs($owner)
+            ->post(route('care.practitioners.store'), [
+                'name' => 'Dr. Unknown',
+                'specialty' => 'Not A Real Specialty',
+                'branch_ids' => [$east->id],
+            ])
+            ->assertSessionHasErrors('specialty');
+    }
+
     public function test_doctor_with_multiple_assigned_branches_can_switch_among_them_only(): void
     {
         $this->withoutMiddleware(EnsurePlatformSession::class);