AbstractThe practice of screening applicants for nursing home admission to determine whether less restrictive residential settings are possible is growing as states attempt to limit costs of Medicaid expenditures for long‐term care. Preadmission screening (PAS) is a repetitive task conducted under conditions of complexity and uncertainty. Extensive knowledge and skills are required to make recommendations concerning appropriate residences for elderly persons that match their needs with available services while assuring their autonomy, as well as that of their families. We used task analysis to explicate the specific task characteristics and the knowledge and skill requirements for successful PA