The profession of genetic counselors

Clinical genetics is a sub specialty in medicine. To provide services in this field, a variety of professionals have to work as members of a team. In this piece I would like to describe the profession of genetic counselors - one member of the team.

From the perspective of clinical practice, genetic counselors perform a vital role in the interactions between the technical professionals and the patient. Effective practice of clinical genetics requires active participation of patients/family members. To enable this patients have to be educated on the basics of genetics, often when a child suspected of having a genetic disorder is being evaluated. In addition, making an accurate diagnosis requires obtaining essential information related to their family history – this can be a sensitive personal issue which can be time consuming and require good communication skills. Once a diagnosis has been made, information related to not only the clinical management of the disease has to be conveyed to the patient/family but also the inheritance pattern and recurrence risk has to be conveyed in a manner that avoids placing guilt on any individual. Often arriving at the diagnosis will require the coordination of activities involving multiple testing modalities, professionals and agencies and review of the literature. In the fast evolving field of clinical genetics, review of literature is also critical in providing the most effective service to patients.

Genetic counselors are professionals with an important role in all the above mentioned activities. To enable them to function effectively in the various tasks they are called upon to perform, they have to have to be knowledgeable in a variety of fields play an invaluable role in coordinating these activities. Therefore the profession of genetic counseling is ideally suited for those with not only an inquiring scientific mind but also good communication skills, organization capabilities and empathy for patients and the family.