What is an intake specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Barbara Peterson,

Dr. T. Thao Pham Ph.D.

An intake specialist is an individual who works in a variety of settings, including healthcare and social services. Their primary role is to gather information from clients or patients at the beginning of their care or service. This includes collecting personal and medical history, insurance information, and other relevant details. They may also conduct initial assessments to determine what services or treatments are needed. Strong communication and organizational skills are essential for success in this role.

What general advice would you give to an intake specialist?

Barbara Peterson

Professor of Human Resources, Tacoma Community College

The work we do in Human Services and mental health is hard. We hear stories from people every day that are heart-wrenching. To be effective, we must take care of ourselves first. This is not being selfish. Just as we hear from the flight attendants every time we fly, we must put our oxygen masks on before assisting others. Self-care is vital and should be practiced every day. Self-care is about creating and maintaining a balanced life that includes proper nutrition, plenty of sleep, exercise, and creative activities and hobbies. Self-care also includes developing healthy relationships with people away from work and, when needed, a mental health professional's visit.

ScoreIntake SpecialistUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,805

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.58%

Asian 6.29%

Black or African American 11.75%

Hispanic or Latino 21.38%

Unknown 4.64%

White 54.36%

Gender

female 79.31%

male 20.69%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an intake specialist?

Pros

Opportunity to help people in need
Variety of work tasks and responsibilities
Opportunity for career advancement within the organization
Competitive salary and benefits package
Stable work schedule and predictable workload

Cons

High level of emotional stress due to dealing with clients in crisis
Limited autonomy due to following strict protocols and procedures
Limited time for breaks and self-care due to high volume of work
Constant need to stay up-to-date on changing policies and regulations
Potential for burnout due to high workload and emotional demands of the job

Key steps to become an intake specialist

Explore intake specialist education requirements

Most common intake specialist degrees

Bachelor's

47.2 %

Associate

20.8 %

High School Diploma

11.6 %

Start to develop specific intake specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	16.45%
Customer Service	13.58%
Social Work	6.97%
Data Entry	6.06%
Phone Calls	3.81%

Complete relevant intake specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New intake specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an intake specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real intake specialist resumes.

Research intake specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage assignments of paying medical bills limit in depth that include organizing and researching regulations as pertain to veterans eligibility.
Provide information to potential patients and referral sources regarding inpatient and outpatient programs offer and intake process.
Verify Medicare eligibility, provide patients with Medicare guideline information as related to home health care and their coverage.
Review U.S. DHS immigration compliance of participants.

Prepare your intake specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your intake specialist resume.

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