Primary-Care Jobs in Integrated Behavioral Health: What to Ask

Clarify the primary-care work you would own

Ask which patients you see, what services you provide, and how much of the job is ongoing primary care versus a defined contribution to a behavioral-health program. Clarify visit types, follow-up expectations, documentation, and responsibilities between appointments. If the employer describes the role as ‘integrated,’ ask for a concrete example of how a typical patient moves through care.

HRSA describes programs that combine primary-care and behavioral-health workforce training. That is useful context for team-based work, but each organization builds its own service. You should be able to explain the actual role to yourself after the interview: what you do, whom you work with, and where your responsibilities stop.

• HRSA: Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care

Ask how the team handles referrals and handoffs

Find out who identifies a need, who receives a referral, who follows up, and how the team knows the handoff is complete. Ask how you contact behavioral-health colleagues and how they reach you. If the organization works across locations or uses telehealth, clarify what changes in the workflow and what stays the same.

A team can use shared language about integration while still having unclear day-to-day ownership. Listen for examples: who schedules, who contacts the patient, what information moves, and what happens when a referral cannot be completed. These details reveal whether the care model is operational or still mostly an aspiration.

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Confirm scope, license, and credentialing for the location

If you are an FNP or PA, verify the requirements for your discipline, state, employer, payer, and service. Ask who can answer questions about licensure, credentialing, privileges, and any role-specific requirements. If the job spans state lines or multiple sites, ask which locations are included and how the organization confirms that you can practice in each one.

AANP and AAPA publish state-level practice information for their professions. Those resources can help you identify questions, but the state regulator and employer’s credentialing office are the appropriate sources for a final determination. Do not assume your current arrangement transfers unchanged to a different state or setting.

• AANP: State Practice Environment
• AAPA: State Advocacy

Ask about team support and the first months

Ask which nurses, behavioral-health clinicians, care coordinators, and operational partners support the work. Clarify who handles scheduling, routine questions, documentation assistance, and follow-up under local policy. If the role is new, ask how workflows are being developed, who will make decisions, and what feedback from the clinician can change.

Request a description of onboarding and the first month. Find out which systems you will learn, what training is available, how often you meet with a clinical leader, and where questions go. A well-supported transition is especially important when the position places primary care inside a service model that is new to you.

Understand schedule, workload, and measures of success

Review the schedule, location, travel, call, visit expectations, documentation, team meetings, and time reserved for coordination. Ask how the employer defines success and whether measures reflect the actual work you are being asked to do. Clarify whether the role has primary-care targets that differ from the behavioral-health program’s service needs.

A useful answer connects expectations to resources. If the employer wants you to see patients, coordinate referrals, participate in case review, and help develop the model, ask how those activities fit into the week. If the schedule leaves no room for the coordination the team describes, ask how that tension will be handled.

Compare the opportunity with your clinical goals

Write down what you want to keep doing, what you want to learn, and what conditions you need to do good work. Compare those priorities with the actual patient population, supervision or consultation structure, schedule, and team responsibilities. Ask which aspects of the role are established and which are still changing.

If the position sounds promising but leaves important questions unanswered, ask for a follow-up with the clinical leader or a future teammate. CTG considers select primary-care roles connected to behavioral-health and community settings when the responsibilities and support are clear. Your next step should be based on the real role, not only on the promise of integration.

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