Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Intake Nurse

🎯 Role Definition

The Intake Nurse is a licensed nursing professional who performs the initial clinical assessment and triage of new and returning patients, documents comprehensive health histories in the EHR/EMR, coordinates referrals and authorizations, verifies insurance and eligibility, and provides patient education and crisis intervention as needed. This role requires strong clinical judgment, excellent communication, and the ability to manage high-volume intake workflows across ambulatory, behavioral health, primary care, urgent care, or telehealth settings.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) with patient-facing experience
Medical Assistant or Patient Services Representative transitioning to clinical roles
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or newly licensed Registered Nurse (RN) with ambulatory care experience

Advancement To:

Triage Nurse / Telehealth Nurse
Care Coordinator or Case Manager
Clinic Nurse Manager or Intake Supervisor
Utilization Review Nurse or Clinical Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

Behavioral Health Intake Coordinator
Ambulatory Care Nurse
Patient Access Nurse / Authorizations Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive initial nursing assessments for new and returning patients by obtaining presenting complaints, past medical history, current medications, allergies, and social determinants of health, documenting findings accurately in the electronic health record (EHR/EMR).
Perform clinical triage to determine acuity level, prioritize care needs, and route patients to the appropriate care setting (urgent care, primary care, specialty clinic, emergency department, or telehealth), using evidence-based protocols and standing orders.
Take and interpret vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, pulse oximetry) and perform focused physical assessments relevant to the intake reason; escalate abnormal results per policy.
Reconcile medications and verify allergies at intake, flagging potential medication interactions and communicating critical safety information to prescribing clinicians and pharmacists.
Complete insurance verification, prior authorization coordination, and eligibility checks to ensure accurate patient billing and to facilitate timely scheduling or referral.
Obtain informed consent for procedures and treatments when required, explaining risks, benefits, and alternatives in patient-centered, lay language and documenting consent in the chart.
Initiate and document standardized mental health and behavioral health screenings (PHQ-9, GAD-7, CAGE, DAST, suicide risk assessments), and collaborate with behavioral health providers to place urgent referrals or safety plans.
Coordinate referrals and care transitions by scheduling specialty appointments, sending referral packets, communicating with external providers, and tracking referral completion to reduce leakage.
Administer or arrange for point-of-care testing and specimen collection (urine, nasal swabs, rapid antigen tests) per clinic protocols; ensure chain-of-custody and lab requisitions are accurate.
Enter orders into the EHR under standing orders or provider direction (labs, imaging, vaccinations), verify order completion, and confirm follow-up plans with patients.
Perform initial wound checks, triage minor injuries, and apply basic first-aid interventions while escalating complex wounds or infections to a provider.
Provide tailored patient education regarding diagnosis, medications, follow-up care, self-care instructions, red flags, and available community resources; document education provided.
Conduct telephone triage and inbound patient intake calls, assessing symptoms remotely, providing self-care guidance, and directing patients to the appropriate level of care.
Maintain robust documentation quality by ensuring accuracy, legibility, and compliance with institutional, legal, and regulatory standards (HIPAA, state nursing practice acts).
Identify social determinants of health and community resource needs (housing, food insecurity, transportation) and initiate referrals to social work, case management, or community partner programs.
Implement nursing-driven protocols and standing orders for vaccinations, STI screening, and chronic disease point-of-care interventions under scope of practice.
Respond to behavioral health crises during intake, perform de-escalation techniques, implement safety interventions, and coordinate emergency behavioral health evaluations as needed.
Monitor and manage patient waitlists and appointment backlogs, conducting outreach to reschedule missed appointments and optimize clinic access.
Participate in multidisciplinary huddles and intake review meetings to communicate patient risks, pending authorizations, diagnostic results, and discharge planning needs.
Identify and report critical abnormal findings (e.g., signs of sepsis, stroke, cardiac ischemia) to the provider immediately and activate emergency response protocols when indicated.
Assist with insurance appeals, utilization review documentation, and clinical justification notes to support prior authorization requests and medically necessary services.
Train and mentor new intake team members or cross-trained patient access staff on intake workflows, triage protocols, and EHR documentation best practices.
Maintain competence in infection prevention, OSHA and CDC guidelines, proper PPE use, sharps disposal, and clinic safety procedures to minimize workplace exposures.
Contribute to continuous quality improvement initiatives by tracking intake metrics (call-to-triage time, referral completion, authorization turnaround), identifying workflow gaps, and proposing evidence-based process improvements.

Secondary Functions

Support telehealth intake workflows including technology checks, informed consent for telemedicine, and documentation of virtual visit readiness.
Assist in periodic audits of intake documentation and chart completeness to support compliance and revenue cycle optimization.
Participate in patient satisfaction initiatives by collecting feedback during intake and escalating systemic issues to leadership.
Maintain supply inventory relevant to intake procedures (point-of-care test kits, immunization stock, PPE) and request replenishment to avoid clinical interruptions.
Collaborate with clinical informatics to optimize intake templates, smart phrases, and decision support rules in the EHR to increase efficiency and reduce documentation burden.
Provide backup coverage for front-desk patient access duties, including check-in/check-out processes and basic scheduling during high-volume periods.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Current, active Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) license in state of practice (include required state-specific endorsements).
Proficiency with major EHR/EMR platforms (Epic, Cerner, Allscripts, Athenahealth) including intake templates, order entry, and problem list management.
Clinical triage and assessment skills with proven ability to use triage algorithms, standing orders, and evidence-based protocols.
Strong knowledge of billing basics, insurance verification processes, prior authorization workflows, and CPT/ICD coding awareness relevant to intake documentation.
Competence in taking comprehensive vitals, performing point-of-care testing, basic specimen collection, and administering routine immunizations.
Familiarity with behavioral health screening tools (PHQ-9, GAD-7, C-SSRS) and safety planning procedures.
Experience performing medication reconciliation and documenting allergy/medication lists accurately in the record.
Ability to use telehealth platforms and troubleshoot common connectivity or audio/video issues during virtual intake.
Basic data literacy: extracting intake metrics, running reports, and using dashboards to monitor referral completion, wait times, and triage volumes.
Knowledge of infection control practices, OSHA regulations, HIPAA privacy/security requirements, and state nurse practice acts.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication for clear patient education, handoffs, and interprofessional collaboration.
High emotional intelligence, empathy, and cultural competency when interviewing patients about sensitive history or social needs.
Critical thinking and decisive triage judgment under time pressure with the ability to escalate appropriately.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail to manage multiple intake streams and ensure accurate documentation.
Customer-service orientation with a focus on patient access, reducing barriers to care, and improving patient experience.
Resilience and stress tolerance for fast-paced clinics and emotionally charged patient encounters.
Collaborative teamwork mindset to coordinate with providers, care managers, social workers, and administrative staff.
Continuous improvement attitude: openness to feedback, participation in workflow redesign, and commitment to measurable outcomes.
Confidentiality and professional discretion when handling sensitive patient information.
Time management and prioritization skills to balance phone triage, face-to-face intake, and administrative requirements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Current active RN or LPN license (RN preferred). Completion of an accredited nursing program (ADN, diploma, or equivalent).

Preferred Education:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Associate’s Degree with additional ambulatory/triage certifications.
Certifications preferred: Basic Life Support (BLS); Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) where applicable; and triage-specific certifications (e.g., TELE-IC, Pediatric Triage Certification).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nursing
Public Health
Healthcare Administration
Behavioral Health Nursing
Emergency Nursing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of direct patient care experience; many employers seek 2+ years in ambulatory care, urgent care, emergency department, behavioral health intake, or triage roles.

Preferred:

Prior experience in patient intake, triage, or care coordination in outpatient or behavioral health settings.
Demonstrated experience with EHR documentation, prior authorization processes, insurance verification, and multimodal patient communication (phone, in-person, telehealth).
Experience working with vulnerable populations and coordinating social services is strongly preferred.