Genetic Counselors
O*NET files this work under Genetic Counselors: people who assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. The skills rated most useful are reading comprehension, active listening, and writing. The job can ask you to provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance. On the six-type interest model it reads ISC, meaning research, analysis and working through hard problems comes first, followed by helping, teaching or caring for people. Getting in usually takes graduate school and often five years or more of related experience, a level O*NET calls extensive preparation. It tends to suit people who want research, analysis and working through hard problems, and it offers little for anyone seeking hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.
What they do
Assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. Provide information to other healthcare providers or to individuals and families concerned with the risk of inherited conditions. Advise individuals and families to support informed decisionmaking and coping methods for those at risk. May help conduct research related to genetic conditions or genetic counseling.
Main tasks
- Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance.
- Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes.
- Provide genetic counseling in specified areas of clinical genetics, such as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology and neurology.
- Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions.
- Interview patients or review medical records to obtain comprehensive patient or family medical histories, and document findings.
- Provide patients with information about the inheritance of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Critical Thinking
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on reading comprehension and active listening.
May not suit you if
- You lose interest when a job asks for long stretches of analysis.
- You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 1.7 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ISC takes the three highest, and Investigative comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Master's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Cardiovascular Genetics Counselor
- Certified Genetic Counselor (CGC)
- Clinical Genetic Counselor
- Genetic Services Coordinator
- Hereditary Cancer Program Coordinator
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.