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Experiences of Genetic Counselors Practicing in Rural Areas

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Journal of Genetic Counseling

Abstract

In-person genetic counseling clinics in rural areas are likely to improve access to genetic counseling in underserved regions, but studies have not previously examined how these clinics function or described the experience of practicing in a rural setting. The present mixed-methods study explored the professional experiences of clinical genetic counselors who practice in rural areas, including the benefits and challenges of practicing in these settings and the counselors’ motivations for doing so. The authors surveyed 20 genetic counselors who self-reported working in rural areas and conducted interviews with six individuals whose workplaces were confirmed as rural per RUCA code. Major obstacles to the provision of genetics services in rural areas included travel distance and low referral rates due to lack of awareness or skepticism. Facilitating factors included relying on resources such as professional networks and prioritizing outreach and education. Participants reported high professional satisfaction and were motivated to work in rural areas by personal experiences and qualities of the job such as being a generalist and having greater professional autonomy. These data demonstrate the feasibility of practicing in rural settings and suggest that in-person rural genetic counseling clinics may complement other strategies such as alternative service delivery models in increasing access for rural residents.

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Acknowledgements

This study was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the first author’s Master of Science degree from Boston University. The authors would like to thank the study participants for investing their time and sharing their valuable insights, and Karrie Weber and the students of the BU MSSP Program for their help in planning the statistical analysis for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Margaret Emmet & MaryAnn Campion

  2. Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street Yawkey 10B, Boston, MA, 02180, USA

    Margaret Emmet

  3. Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD, USA

    Quinn Stein

  4. Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA

    Erin Thorpe

  5. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    MaryAnn Campion

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  1. Margaret Emmet
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  2. Quinn Stein
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  3. Erin Thorpe
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Correspondence to Margaret Emmet.

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Conflict of Interest

Margaret Emmet, Quinn Stein, Erin Thorpe, and MaryAnn Campion declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human Studies and Informed Consent

The Institutional Review Board at Boston University determined this study to be exempt (protocol H-34567). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Animal Studies

This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Emmet, M., Stein, Q., Thorpe, E. et al. Experiences of Genetic Counselors Practicing in Rural Areas. J Genet Counsel 27, 140–154 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0131-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0131-6

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