Even though I’m not currently practicing, I am still a genetic counselor.
November 9 is the second annual Genetic Counselor Awareness Day.
Genetic Counselor Awareness Day is dedicated to empowering genetic counselors, raising awareness and visibility of genetic counselors in communities and institutions, and helping consumers understand the important role genetic counselors can play in their healthcare.
What do Genetic Counselors do?
Genetic counselors are specialists who have education in both genetics and counseling to provide the personalized help patients need as they make decisions about their genetic health. Genetic counselors help patients understand genes, birth defects, and other medical conditions that run in families, and how they can affect a patient’s health.
A genetic counselor works with patients to:
- Explore personal and family health histories to better determine genetic risks
- Discuss the medical and emotional implications of genetic information and provide support
- Decide what, if any, genetic testing is best for patients and their families that fits into a personalized health plan by talking with laboratories, insurance companies, and other healthcare providers
- Help patients understand test results and make decisions and modifications about future health plans
- Work with the team of healthcare providers on a patients overall healthcare.
Where do Genetic Counselors Work?
Genetic counselors work in a variety of settings including universities, hospitals, laboratories, and non-profit and governmental agencies.
Specialty Areas
The largest specialty areas in genetic counseling are Prenatal, Cancer, and Pediatrics.
There are multiple specialty areas for genetic counselors:
- Prenatal and preconception– to help women and their partners who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant discuss their genetic testing options and results
- Pediatric– to help children and their family members identify, cope with, and understand a genetic diagnosis
- Cancer– to help patients with cancer and their family members understand their future risks of cancer
- Neurology– to help patients with neurologic disorders and their family members identify, cope with, and understand a genetic diagnosis
- Metabolic diseases– to help patients with metabolic disease understand and manage their disease with treatment options available
- Adult– to help patients make sense of symptoms to determine if an underlying genetic disease may be causing their symptoms. Then work with the patient and their families to understand recurrence risk
- Testing– laboratories and pharmaceutical companies hire genetic counselors for their genetic knowledge to help explain nuisances of tests, help other genetic counselors chose the right test, and discuss and interpret test results
- Cardiology– to help patients with cardiovascular conditions and their family members identify, cope with, and understand a genetic diagnosis
Why do Patients See a Genetic Counselor?
Prenatal
- Personal or family history of a known or suspected genetic condition
- Discussion of testing options available during pregnancy
- Discussion of positive and negative test results
- Abnormal ultrasound findings
- Advanced maternal age
- Exposures during pregnancy that may cause birth defects
Pediatric
Genetic counseling is appropriate for children with:
- Developmental delay
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Multiple health problems or birth defects
- Abnormal physical features
- Family history of a genetic condition
- Suspicion of a genetic condition
Establishing a diagnosis for these children can provide information on what to expect in the future, prognosis, the chance of the condition affecting future children or other family members, and access to support and services.
Adult
Individuals with a personal or family history of an adult-onset genetic condition may benefit from genetic counseling to learn about:
- Available testing
- Risk for children and family members
Cancer
Cancer genetic counseling can help an individual determine if their cancer is due to an inherited increased risk to develop cancer. This can affect treatment methods, future cancer risks, screening methods and frequency, and risks for family members. Individuals with a personal or family history of cancer see a genetic counselor if:
- Cancer is diagnosed at a young age (under 50)
- Two or more first degree relatives on the same side of the family have been diagnosed with cancer
- An individual has been diagnosed with more than one primary cancer (such as two primary breast cancers, or colon and stomach cancer)
- A rare form of cancer
- A known genetic mutation in the family
- An ethnicity associated with a higher frequency of hereditary cancer syndromes (Ashkenazi or Eastern European Jewish descent)
Find A Genetic Counselor in your area
How do you Become a Genetic Counselor?
Many people start with an interest in genetics, but want something more personal than laboratory work. For me personally, I knew that I wanted to find a career where I could make in difference in people’s lives. I started down the path towards research, but ultimately felt like the work I would be doing was so far removed from the patient that I wouldn’t feel satisfaction with my work. I also liked that although genetic counseling is heavily rooted in science, there is also a large piece that focuses on the emotional well-being of patients through counseling. Genetic counselors counsel patients regarding reducing feelings of guilt, grief, bereavement, and facilitate decision making.
Becoming a genetic counselor requires completion of a master’s degree at an accredited genetic counseling program. (Accredited programs). Admission to a genetic counseling program is exceptionally competitive. On average, the typical applicant will apply to 5-6 programs, have shadowing experience, advocacy work, leadership experience, volunteer work, among other qualifications and experiences. Coursework involved in a genetic counseling program includes genetics, clinical genetics and clinical applications, psychology, and psychosocial skills. Clinical rotations are required as well in at least the three core specialties- cancer, prenatal, and pediatrics.
After completing training, graduates must pass a board certification examination to become certified. Additionally, some states now require that genetic counselors also be licensed to practice in that state,
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of genetic counselors will grow 29% from 2016 to 2026, which is much faster than the average occupation. Ongoing technological innovations, improvements in laboratory tests, and developments in genomics, are giving genetic counselors more opportunities for genetic analyses.
#IAmAGeneticCounselor
References
- Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Genetic Counselors
- March of Dimes, Genetic Counseling
- NSGC.org, About Genetic Counselors
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