Pam: What is the Employment Outlook for the Genetics Counseling Field?
The BLS states that the employment outlook for the genetics counseling field is quite promising. They project it to grow at 29 percent until the year 2024, which is much faster than average. Keep reading to learn why the employment outlook for this exciting medical field is so good.
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/genetic-counselors.htm
A Growing Profession
Modern medicine now relies more and more on genetic science, so the demand for health care professionals who can assess and communicate these health issues is significantly increasing. This is because public awareness is growing in conjunction with scientific advances in reproductive technologies. Health care consumers now want genetics specialists who can provide highly accurate and advanced consultations regarding their unique genetic conditions. Most genetic counselors work with couples or single mothers who
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This equates to four years at the undergraduate level and two years at the graduate level. Genetic counselors must have a Master’s degree to become licensed to practice. It does not matter which major is chosen at the undergraduate level as long as it is in the field of medical science. All genetics counselors must earn a Master’s degree in genetics or genetic counseling to become eligible for their board-certified genetic counseling exam.
There are only around 30 programs in the county that offer these programs, which give classes in biology, molecular genetics, prenatal diagnosis, birth defects, research methods, genetic screening, public health and epidemiology.
The employment outlook for the genetics counseling field is good, so aspiring students should find an accredited program by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling
The timeline in Fig 1.2 showing “events, high points and key moments in counseling history” since the beginning of the 20th century both interested and surprised me in several ways. Firstly, I was surprised to learn that, rather than evolving slowly in parallel with the medical profession in general in response to the needs of the mentally ill (perhaps more descriptive of the field of psychiatry), counseling as a profession was in fact pioneered by Frank Parsons, or at least by the vocational guidance movement that he represented (Granello, 2012, p. 14). It is interesting to me that career guidance is still an important part of counseling, (Granello, 2012, p. 18) since Frank Parsons struggled with this personally and identified it as a need in society. On consideration, I realize that it makes a great deal of sense that finding an enjoyable and appropriate career has a huge impact on personal well-being, and therefore one’s mental health. Frank Parsons identified an important aspect of society (lack of education regarding suitable professions) that he felt might contribute to its dysfunction, and wrote a number of books, including “Choosing a Vocation” (Granello, 2012, p. 14). Although at first this seemed to me a surprising initiator of the Counseling profession, it is probably quite a natural one.
Consequently, I cannot say with any degree of certainty that I know what I want to pursue as a career. These past few weeks, however, have led me to believe that I want to be either a Child Psychologist or a Pediatric Genetic Counselor. The first and most evident link between these two careers is the aspect of working with adolescents. I am passionate about children and have extensive experience working with them in the past. I believe myself to be particularly well suited to working with adolescents, but even more importantly, I greatly enjoy it! Both of these careers also employ some measure of counseling and interacting with people who are in need of assistance. However, a Pediatric Genetic Counselor would work primarily to assess children for risk factors for a variety of inherited conditions; then they would advise the children and their families and provide support and coping mechanisms, whereas Child Psychologists work to evaluate children for mental and emotional disorders without specializing in genetics. Both of these careers intrigue me, and I hope to further narrow down my career path as I learn more about each individual career, as well as Psychology as a whole. Either way, an undergraduate degree in Psychology will greatly assist me in reaching these
The reason I plan to attend Texas Tech is to get my degree to become a Counselor. People who are Counselors work with many different patients dealing with relationship, mental and
Graduating the University of Texas with a Master’s in Counseling Psychology would be a dream come true. I strongly believe this program will give me the tools I need to become an excellent counselor and to launch me to the next level of my career and life. Counseling humans in trouble and curing my thirst for knowledge are my goals which I am sure this program will help me achieve. I can’t wait for my future to take off as I gain more knowledge and pave the way to becoming an excellent counselor for anyone that needs my help as I was helped when I was a young
The purpose of the document is to explain the benefits of prenatal genetic counselling, procedures and tests used to find genetic abnormalities, and what to do with the information received through genetic counseling.
In order to review their inherited genetic risks and help them understand and provide counseling according to their specific needs the genetic counselor should know the Trosacks ' have already established that their unborn child has Tay Sachs disease and based on those needs they should be provided with appropriate guidance and counseling as they progress through their pregnancy. The discussion should include what causes genetic disorders, and what that means to the Trosack couple specifically, including dominant, recessive and x-linked disorders. However, recessive disorders should be fully discussed in this case. Another topic to include in the discussion are what genes and chromosomes are, and the relation to Tay Sachs disease.
I have wanted to be a counselor since my freshmen year of high school and in the counseling field there are many specialties that I can focus on. I am fairly certain that I want to specialize in helping people with substance abuse and their families. I have always focused my studies, interests, and work on things that will help me in this field and I have a lot of qualities that help to enhance me in my eventual career. There are difficulties when I get to practice also like what people perceive as correct counseling style, challenges with my gender and race, and finally creating my own counseling style and plans.
Some counselors choose to focus their work on the regular practice of comforting and guiding families through the often traumatic process of discovering their genetic predisposition to a multitude of diseases. Other counselors can choose to gear their focus on the side of research. This type of counselor usually catalogs family medical history and information about pregnancy. The noting of this vital information becomes necessary as it leads to an increase in the study and understating of how patients will someday be able to carry out a normal life while simultaneously living with a genetic disease. ( Who Are Genetic Counselors? nsgc.org ) These are only a few examples amongst many others that give way to the wide variety of unique attributes I will be able to provide as a genetic counselor that would not be available in any other
A Genetic Counselor is someone who provides information and support to those who have birth defects, genetic disorders or at risk of such conditions. They may also look for treatment of disorders, or conduct research on the cause or they may work to help the families and individuals understand the condition they or others may have. To be a genetic counselor you have to have completed master's degree program in genetic counseling. Students should prepare with undergraduate courses in biology, chemistry, genetics, and psychology. Some the top schools to go to outside of Virginia for genetic counseling majors is Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, or Boston University School of Medicine. Though schools that are in state and are
Case Study One A 13-year-old named Marta displays exceeding aptitudes in athletics. Good genetics is the rationale used by her coach to explain why she is so advanced. Genetics can explain certain abilities, however there are other factors that impact on abilities. O’Donnell et al. (2016) supported the ideas that individual’s growth and development have consequently been impacted by genetics and environmental factors.
Genetic counseling is the job path I want to take when I am older. This profession has a tough price to pay, especially when talking to patients, because sometimes the truth is hard to hear. This challenge is a daily task for genetic counselors, but the job also has great pay, credibility, and work conditions. If I were to go into this field, it will not only be suitable, it will be enjoyable. Becoming a genetic counselor requires a lot of prep in college and tertiary levels of education, but this career is worthy because of the credibility and enjoyment of the field.
License counselors are a highly-skilled professional who uses combine traditional psychotherapy and a problem solving approach. These professional counselors create a path for change and find a solution to the problem the client is experiencing. The reason why I am seeking a specialization in a license track counseling program is due to my past experiences. I feel that what I overcame in my past life, I can help others move beyond the obstacles they are experiencing. Therefore, I want to obtain my Masters in the Mental Health Counseling program and attain my license afterwards.
Only 2 genetic counselors had their employer’s specific genetic counseling website links as part of their contact information. The Children Hospital’s Colorado’s website mentions the services provided by a genetic counselor if a genetic mutation is found for hereditary cancer (Hereditary Cancer, 2016). However, I could not find genetic counseling for other types of conditions and diseases. Overall, the genetics information on this website is scarce. In contrast, Parker Adventist Hospital has much more information about genetic counseling on its website, especially for hereditary cancer, breast cancer, and cardiovascular conditions and diseases (Genetic Counseling, 2016). Both websites are very informative about genetic counseling – presenting current detailed material in an organized format without appearing to be pushy or aggressive toward the reader about this
I am excited about this course. I have previous experience with Genetics. I fell in love with Genetics when I took Genetics as part of my undergraduate studies in college. I decided I wanted to learn more about Genetics and perused a Master’s degree in Genetic. I graduated in 2008 with a MS in Genetics from Howard University. I worked in the biotechnology field and had the opportunity to participate in research studies. The study of genes and how they interact within the body is most fascinating to me. Genetic is a complex course and although I have a background in Genetics I am ready dive into the wonderful world of Genetic and expand my knowledge.
Genetic research is the way to improved cancer diagnostics and therapy. The understanding of genetic abnormalities or mutations in normal and cancer cell is one of the greatest advances in cancer research. Because genetic mutations can cause cells to produce abnormal amounts of certain proteins, that can disrupt normal cell behavior in a number of ways and ultimately lead to the development of cancer. Large genomic study offer molecular origins of cancer, and a recent mutational analysis show 5 million mutations from roughly 7,000 cancers (Alexandrov et al., 2013). Researchers identified some specified factors such as tobacco, ultraviolet light exposure, certain