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Relieving the Bottleneck: An Investigation of Barriers to Expansion of Supervision Networks at Genetic Counseling Training Programs

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Journal of Genetic Counseling

Abstract

Rapid growth in the demand for genetic counselors has led to a workforce shortage. There is a prevailing assumption that the number of training slots for genetic counseling students is linked to the availability of clinical supervisors. This study aimed to determine and compare barriers to expansion of supervision networks at genetic counseling training programs as perceived by supervisors, non-supervisors, and Program Directors. Genetic counselors were recruited via National Society of Genetic Counselors e-blast; Program Directors received personal emails. Online surveys were completed by 216 supervisors, 98 non-supervisors, and 23 Program Directors. Respondents rated impact of 35 barriers; comparisons were made using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon ranked sum tests. Half of supervisors (51%) indicated willingness to increase supervision. All non-supervisors were willing to supervise. However, all agreed that being too busy impacted ability to supervise, highlighted by supervisors’ most impactful barriers: lack of time, other responsibilities, intensive nature of supervision, desire for breaks, and unfilled positions. Non-supervisors noted unique barriers: distance, institutional barriers, and non-clinical roles. Program Directors’ perceptions were congruent with those of genetic counselors with three exceptions they rated as impactful: lack of money, prefer not to supervise, and never been asked. In order to expand supervision networks and provide comprehensive student experiences, the profession must examine service delivery models to increase workplace efficiency, reconsider the supervision paradigm, and redefine what constitutes a countable case or place value on non-direct patient care experiences.

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Acknowledgements

This study was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the first author’s Master of Science in genetic counseling from MD Anderson Cancer Center UT Health Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Christina Palmer served as Action Editor on the manuscript review process and publication decision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA

    Jordan Berg, Jennifer Hoskovec, S. Shahrukh Hashmi & Claire N. Singletary

  2. Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Jennifer Hoskovec & Claire N. Singletary

  3. Department of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    S. Shahrukh Hashmi, Allison Ownby & Claire N. Singletary

  4. Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Patricia McCarthy Veach

  5. Office of Educational Programs, McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Allison Ownby

Authors
  1. Jordan Berg
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  2. Jennifer Hoskovec
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  3. S. Shahrukh Hashmi
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  4. Patricia McCarthy Veach
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  5. Allison Ownby
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  6. Claire N. Singletary
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jordan Berg.

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Conflict of Interest

Jennifer Hoskovec is the Chair of the Genetic Counselor Workforce Working Group. Jordan Berg, Patricia McCarthy Veach, Shahrukh Hashmi, Allison Ownby, and Claire N. Singletary declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human Studies and Informed Consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). Informed consent was obtained from all participants for being included in the study.

Animal Studies

No animal studies were carried out by the authors for this article.

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Berg, J., Hoskovec, J., Hashmi, S.S. et al. Relieving the Bottleneck: An Investigation of Barriers to Expansion of Supervision Networks at Genetic Counseling Training Programs. J Genet Counsel 27, 241–251 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0142-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-017-0142-3

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