Abstract
The development of standards for training and certification is essential to the credibility and integrity of a developing profession. Training and certification of genetic counselors in Australasia has undergone a detailed review during the past few years, resulting in changes to the way certification is obtained. This paper presents an overview of the process of developing a robust training and certification program which reflects the social and cultural environment of genetic counselors working in Australasia. A brief history of the development of the profession in Australasia is provided, followed by a detailed discussion of the recent development of Masters programs and a portfolio of work required for certification. The importance of consultation within the profession and with our colleagues in the field of human genetics is considered, and we provide a discussion of defining moments that occurred during the review. This paper is intended to provide a detailed description of genetic counselor training and certification in Australasia. We anticipate that our insights into the process of redevelopment of training and certification guidelines may be helpful for genetic counselors working in countries where certification requirements are being developed.
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Notes
Australasia is a term used to include both Australia and New Zealand. In this paper the term Australasia is used as a descriptor for these two countries, unless the context of the discussion necessitates designating either one or both countries separately.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Clara Gaff for her comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.
We thank the members of the Oversight Committee who participated in the review and development of the guidelines with us: David Amor, Anne Baxendale, Leslie Colvin-James, Sue Fawcett, Clara Gaff, Lisa Gordon, Annette Hattam, Jill Parkes, Madelyn Peterson, Carolyn Rogers, Margaret Sahhar, Debbie Trott, and Cindy Zaitsoff.
We also thank the many other people who contributed their time, thoughts and energy to the guideline review and the development of the accreditation guidelines, including program directors, ASGC members, the HGSA Clinical Service Committee, and the Board of Censors for Genetic Counseling members who have joined the Board as the guidelines have been introduced. Finally, we thank the HGSA Executive and Council for their support during this review process.
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Appendix 1: Skills and Competencies
Appendix 1: Skills and Competencies
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McEwen, A.R., Young, M.A. & Wake, S.A. Genetic Counseling Training and Certification in Australasia. J Genet Counsel 22, 875–884 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-012-9567-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-012-9567-x