GCPD X400 - Out of the Shadows: Genetic Counseling Specialties
Description
In the career of genetic counseling (GC), the process of job shadowing is important both for career exploration and to strengthen a prospective students application for GC graduate school admissions. Despite its importance, in-person GC shadowing experiences are limited and not always accessible to prospective GC students. This course, titled "Out of the Shadows: Genetic Counseling Specialties" was developed to simulate GC job shadowing. The course includes three GC simulated sessions in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular, and prenatal as well as session debriefs that were conducted with the GCs in the sessions along with prospective students who asked questions about the observed case. Informational interviews with GCs and additional course activities (e.g., pedigree creation, chart review, and writing a family letter) are embedded in the course for prospective students to gain a realistic understanding of GC roles outside of a patient encounter. Assessments are included in the form of reflections, in which participants are asked to reflect on course content. After the completion of all reflections, learners will receive a certificate of completion to demonstrate achievement of the learning objectives. Learners who complete the course will have a deeper understanding of what a genetic counselor does, what a genetic counseling session looks like, and what it takes to become a genetic counselor.
Note: Once registered you will access the course at canvas.umn.edu.
Outline
- Module 1: Introduction to the Career of Genetic Counseling
- Module 2: Introduction to Cancer Genetic Counseling
- Module 3: Shadowing a Cancer GC
- Module 4: Supplemental Cancer Material
- Module 5: Introduction to Cardiovascular Genetic Counseling
- Module 6: Shadowing a Cardiovascular GC
- Module 7: Supplemental Cardiovascular Material
- Module 8: Introduction to Prenatal Genetic Counseling
- Module 9: Shadowing a Prenatal GC
- Module 10: Supplemental Prenatal Material
Objectives
- Identify the various career paths and roles within the field of genetic counseling.
- Observe genetic counseling sessions across prenatal, cancer, and cardiac specialties to understand clinical variation.
- Describe the various responsibilities of a clinical genetic counselor.
- Learn how to take a family history in the context of cancer genetic counseling.
- Evaluate strategies used by genetic counselors to deliver difficult or sensitive information to patients.
- Describe the process of drafting a family letter for a known hereditary cardiac condition.
- Analyze the components involved in preparing a case for a prenatal genetic counseling session.
- Discuss key ethical considerations in prenatal genetic counseling.
- Analyze genetic counselors’ perspectives on the information they found most valuable as prospective students considering the field.
- Evaluate genetic counselors’ perceptions of the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of their profession.
- Reflect critically on personal learning and experiences gained throughout the module.