Genetic Counselor Research Paper

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Genetic counselors help patients and their families understand the medical, physiological, and psychological impacts of a genetic disease. Counselors can also interpret medical histories in order to determine the likelihood of passing on the condition, offer information about genetic testing, and discuss with the patient about all treatment options available so that an informed decision can be made (6). The field of genetic counseling is fairly young and constantly changing. Dr. Sheldon Reed first brought about the idea of “genetic counseling” in the 1940’s after joining the Dight Institute for Human Genetics. His purpose for the phrase was to provide courses and lectures on genetics, conduct research, and consult on questions related to genetics. …show more content…

This begins with obtaining an undergraduate degree as a Bachelor of Science, usually in nursing, biology or genetics (2). Following this, the student needs to take the GRE and gain admittance to a genetic counseling Master’s degree program to gain a more specialized knowledge of the field (3). These programs are highly competitive as this is a young field, but there are certain things a student can do to be a more attractive applicant to genetic counseling programs such as shadowing genetic counselors, having previous counseling experience, and being involved in volunteer or advocacy programs (5). Only about 30 schools in the country offer this degree with none being in Louisiana. However, the best out of state universities for this degree program are Northwestern University, John Hopkins University, Case Western Reserve University, Brandeis University, and Boston University (1). Following graduation with a Master’s degree, the individual may need to obtain a license to practice depending on the state and certification through the American Board of Genetic Counseling (3). Once graduated and licensed, the student is now a genetic counselor, but will have to remain up to date on new information pertaining to the career as it is …show more content…

So many different conditions have underlying genetic causes, and more are being looked into. There would be no end to the learning something new and interesting with this job. With the growing knowledge base comes a growing job outlook as the need for genetic counselors is expected to grow 29% in the next ten years, much faster than other industries (4). Salary for this position is also an advantage as the average national salary is around $69,500, but varies widely on the environment in which one chooses to work (4). For example, genetic counselors in medical and diagnostic labs can make up to $89,000 annually while those working in professional schools and universities average only $60,400 each year (4). Another good thing about this job is that, unlike most health care professionals, genetic counselors work by appointment only, which means no going on call (3). This career also allows the counselor to get to know their patients more as they have to act as advocate. It would allow me to really put my everything into this career to get to help someone I have gotten to know understand and make a better decision about their health than had they gone into it blindly. This also could be a consequence of the job as I am highly driven, but some conditions just cannot be helped. If I were to spend so much time

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