Abstract
An increasing number of genetic counselors are moving into non-clinical roles, where their primary duties do not involve direct patient contact. According to the National Society of Genetic Counselors Professional Status Survey in 2010, 23% of counselors working in non-clinical roles identified laboratory or genetic testing as their primary area of work. Using a survey, we identified 43 genetic counselors who work predominately in laboratory settings. The two primary tasks performed by participants, include acting as a customer liaison (95%) and calling out test results (88%). Nineteen participants (44.2%) also reported spending a considerable amount of time signing reports. The most prevalent areas of job satisfaction were support from laboratory directors (76.8%), autonomy (76.7%), interactions with clinicians (69.7%) and interaction with other genetics counselors (67.5%). This is the first study specifically looking at the roles of laboratory genetic counselors, which is an expanding area of genetic counseling.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the members of the National Society of Genetic Counselors and Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors for their participation in the study.
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Appendix I
Appendix I
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Christian, S., Lilley, M., Hume, S. et al. Defining the Role of Laboratory Genetic Counselor. J Genet Counsel 21, 605–611 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-011-9419-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-011-9419-0