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The differences between intake counselors and intake specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an intake counselor, becoming an intake specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an intake counselor has an average salary of $44,574, which is higher than the $36,805 average annual salary of an intake specialist.
The top three skills for an intake counselor include social work, patients and crisis intervention. The most important skills for an intake specialist are patients, customer service, and social work.
| Intake Counselor | Intake Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,574 | $36,805 |
| Hourly rate | $21.43 | $17.69 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 77,050 | 40,663 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
An intake counselor is responsible for monitoring patients with mental disability and substance abuse cases, administering treatment plans according to their medical histories and current needs. Intake counselors diagnose patients' conditions through psychological tests and regular counseling. They also coordinate with the patients' family members, as well as other health professionals, to assess the patients' treatment needs. An intake counselor may also handle the payment for treatment plans and reaching out to the insurance provider upon discussing the patient's case.
Intake coordinators manage the registration of clients or patients for medical services in a health care facility. They talk to patients and their families, determine their needs, and ask for patients' medical history and their mental and physical state. It is part of their job to obtain the insurance information of the patients. The necessary skills to become an intake coordinator include good writing and reading skills, good communication, and attention to detail.
Intake counselors and intake specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Intake Counselor | Intake Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,574 | $36,805 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $60,000 | Between $26,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Scottsdale, AZ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | HonorHealth | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Government |
There are a few differences between an intake counselor and an intake specialist in terms of educational background:
| Intake Counselor | Intake Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between intake counselors' and intake specialists' demographics:
| Intake Counselor | Intake Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 25.5% Female, 74.5% | Male, 20.7% Female, 79.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 11% |