Genetic counselors with advanced skills: I. Refining a model of advanced training.

Baty BJ1, Davis C2, Erby L3, Hippman C4, Trepanier A5.

Author information

1: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
2: Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY, USA.
3: Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
4: Women's Health Research Institute, BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services Research Institute, BC Women's & Children's Hospitals, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
5: Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

Abstract

Advanced training for master's trained genetic counselors has been a topic for many years. In 2016, Baty et al. published a model of advanced training for genetic counselors that interconnects three grids: skills, paths, and positions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess how well this model of advanced training reflected the experiences of genetic counselors with advanced genetic counseling skills. Using purposive sampling and deductive content analysis, results of 17 interviews demonstrated that the 3-grid model of advanced genetic counseling skills, paths to attaining these skills, and positions which utilize advanced skills, described elements important for the interviewees' career development. Results suggested refinements to the model in terms of content and organization and also suggested that advanced training be conceptualized as an important element of a career lattice that includes both vertical and horizontal movement. This refined model of genetic counselor advanced training can foster profession-wide career development by stimulating new career paths and career development research.