American Board Of Genetic Counseling Research Articles

Alone in the Crowd: I Failed the ABGC Certification Exam.

The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) certification examination (often referred to as "the board exam") has become a milestone within the field of genetic counseling. For many, it is the final standardized test taken and indicates the examinee has met "the standards of minimal competence to practice as a genetic counselor" (Bulletin 2015). Although voluntary, certification is strongly encouraged, and in some employment situations, required. Although recent statistics indicate the majority of those who take the test pass, each year there are those who sit for the test unsuccessfully. Despite this fact, exam failure and tools for dealing with this experience are not often broached in the literature. This essay recalls my experiences with a failed exam attempt and the subsequent emotional turmoil. It also aims to start the conversation regarding the difficulty of coping with the "secret" shame of public, professional failure, and suggests there is room for further discussion and resource development in this area.

A Comparison of Telephone Genetic Counseling and In-Person Genetic Counseling from the Genetic Counselor's Perspective.

Growing demand for and limited geographic access to genetic counseling services is increasing the need for alternative service delivery models (SDM) like telephone genetic counseling (TGC). Little research has been done on genetic counselors' perspectives of the practice of TGC. We created an anonymous online survey to assess whether telephone genetic counselors believed the tasks identified in the ABGC (American Board of Genetic Counseling) Practice Analysis were performed similarly or differently in TGC compared to in person genetic counseling (IPGC). If there were differences noted, we sought to determine the nature of the differences and if additional training might be needed to address them. Eighty eight genetic counselors with experience in TGC completed some or all of the survey. Respondents identified differences in 13 (14.8%) of the 88 tasks studied. The tasks identified as most different in TGC were: "establishing rapport through verbal and nonverbal interactions" (60.2%; 50/83 respondents identified the task as different), "recognizing factors affecting the counseling interaction" (47.8%; 32/67), "assessing client/family emotions, support, etc." (40.1%; 27/66) and "educating clients about basic genetic concepts" (35.6%; 26/73). A slight majority (53.8%; 35/65) felt additional training was needed to communicate information without visual aids and more effectively perform psychosocial assessments. In summary, although a majority of genetic counseling tasks are performed similarly between TGC and IPGC, TGC counselors recognize that specific training in the TGC model may be needed to address the key differences.

The Incorporation of Predictive Genomic Testing into Genetic Counseling Programs

This study explored whether genetic counseling programs are incorporating instruction about the applications and techniques of predictive genomic testing (PGT) based on student recollection, and whether this is perceived as adequate by those students. For the purpose of this study, PGT was defined as the use of genome-based testing to assess a person's risk, or susceptibility, of developing a disorder with either a known or suspected genetic component. Surveys from 114 graduates were analyzed. The majority of respondents indicated that PGT was covered in their curriculum including methodology, information generated, benefits, risks, limitations, and impact on the field of genetic counseling. A statistically significant increase in incorporating information about PGT as a whole from 2008 to 2011 was also reported. The majority of respondents reported that coverage of PGT prepared them for the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) board exam (80.6 %), to interpret PGT test results (60.2 %) and to identify clinical situations warranting testing (53.1 %). Although the majority of respondents indicated learning about a wide variety of aspects surrounding PGT, many recent graduates indicated their training was less likely to cover aspects essential for the clinical application of PGT. Therefore, genetic counseling programs should place a greater emphasis on these skills, and the development of continuing education opportunities aimed at increasing genetic counselors abilities to interpret and discuss PGT tests and identify clinical situations warranting such testing may be helpful.

Genetics, Genomics, and Oncology

Genetics, Genomics, and Oncology

Primary-care physicians’ access to genetic specialists: an impediment to the routine use of genomic medicine?

Primary-care physicians’ access to genetic specialists: an impediment to the routine use of genomic medicine?

Genetic Counseling Supervisor Competencies: Results of a Delphi Study

Clinical supervision is a critical component of genetic counseling student preparation, yet empirically-determined competencies for genetic counseling supervisors are lacking. In this study a modified, two-round Delphi method was used to gain consensus about important genetic counseling supervisor knowledge, characteristics, and skills. Program directors and assistant directors of American Board of Genetic Counseling accredited genetic counseling programs in North America (N = 33) were invited to participate and to recruit three experienced supervisors. Seventy-four individuals completed Round 1 and, of these, 61 completed Round 2. Approximately two-thirds were clinical supervisors from prenatal, pediatrics, cancer, and adult clinics; one-third were program directors. Participants rated the importance for genetic counseling supervisors of 158 items derived from supervision literature in allied health professions. They rated 142 items (89.9 %) as highly important. Content analysis of these items yielded six supervisor competency domains: Personal traits and characteristics; relationship building and maintenance; student evaluation; student centered supervision; guidance and monitoring of patient care; and ethical and legal aspects of supervision. The results provide a basis for training genetic counseling supervisors and for further research to refine and validate supervisor competencies.

Transition to the Clinical Doctorate: Attitudes of the Genetic Counseling Training Program Directors in North America

In North America, genetic counseling is an allied health profession where entry level practitioners currently must hold a master's degree earned from a graduate program accredited by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. This is one of many health care professions that could transition to an entry level clinical doctorate degree. This study explored the attitudes of genetic counseling training program directors toward such a transition. Thirty-one North American program directors were invited to complete an online survey and a follow-up telephone interview. Twenty-one program directors completed the survey and ten directors also completed a follow up phone interview. There was disagreement among the respondents on the issue of transitioning to a clinical doctorate degree (nine in favor, six against and six undecided). Respondents disagreed about whether the transition would lead to higher salaries (six yes, eight no, and seven unsure) or increased professional recognition (eight yes, eight no, and four unsure). Approximately half (n = 10) of directors were not sure if the transition to a clinical doctorate would help or hurt minority recruitment; six thought it would help and four thought it would hurt. However, the majority (n = 13) thought a clinical doctorate would help genetic counselors to obtain faculty positions. If the field transitions to a clinical doctorate, 11 of the directors thought their program would convert, seven were unsure and one thought their program would shut down. Themes identified in interview data included 1) implications for the profession 2) institution-specific considerations and 3) perception of the unknown. Opinions are quite varied at this time regarding the possible transition to the clinical doctorate among genetic counseling training program directors.

Diplomates Certified in 2007

Erratum to: J Genet Counsel (2008) 17(6):652-654 DOI 10.1007/s10897-008-9195-7 The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) regrets the omission of Jennifer Nuk from the list of Diplomates Certified in 2007. Congratulations to Jennifer and to all the Diplomates who achieved ABGC certification in 2007.

Genetic Counseling Practice Analysis

The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) performed a genetic counseling practice analysis (PA) to determine the content of the certification examination. The ABGC-appointed PA Advisory Committee worked with psychometricians to develop a survey which was distributed to 2,038 genetic counselors in the United States and Canada. The survey was also accessible on the ABGC website. Multiple criteria were used to establish the significance of the tasks included in the survey. A total of 677 responses were used in the analysis, representing a 37.1% corrected response rate. Five major content domains with 143 tasks were identified in the PA. New certification test specifications were developed on the basis of PA results and will be used in developing future examination forms. In keeping with credentialing standards, ABGC plans to conduct a PA on a regular basis so that the content of the examination reflects current practice.

Relative Risk

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsRobert G. RestaRobert G. Resta, MA, MS, CGC, has been a genetic counselor since 1983 and is certified by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. He is the manager of the Hereditary Cancer Clinic at the Swedish Cancer Institute at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Wash.

Career Research Interests and Training of Genetic Counseling Students

Research is important to validate clinical services, provide information on the effectiveness of practice techniques, and develop the knowledge base of a clinical profession. Genetic counseling students from American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) accredited training programs were surveyed to determine their career research interests and interest in pursuing a hypothetical doctoral degree in genetic counseling. Genetic counseling program directors were surveyed to assess the emphasis on research training within their programs. A substantial number (46%, n = 92) of genetic counseling students are interested in performing research in their careers and many (40%, n = 80) would pursue a doctoral degree in genetic counseling if it was available. Students and directors from programs with a thesis requirement reported a significantly higher emphasis on career research preparation than those from programs without a thesis requirement. The results of this study indicate that future genetic counselors are interested in contributing to the research base that will advance the field. This study suggests a need to strengthen research training within ABGC accredited graduate programs and explore the development of a doctoral degree option in genetic counseling.

Genetic Counseling: Dna Testing for the Patient

Genetic counseling deals with the “human problems associated with the occurrence, or the risk of occurrence, of a genetic disorder in the family” (1). Genetic counseling is essentially a communication process—about medical facts, the contribution of heredity to certain conditions, the interpretation of test results, and the options available. It also involves supportive counseling to enable patients to make decisions and to make the best possible adjustment to the presence or risk of genetic disease. Genetic counselors have master's degrees from certified programs and are certified by either the American Board of Medical Genetics or the American Board of Genetic Counseling. This article reviews several case scenarios in order to highlight some themes and lessons from genetic counseling.

A crossroads in genetic counseling and ethics.

Genetic counselors are on the front lines of the genetic revolution, presented with tests of varying predictive values and reliability, unfair testing distribution mechanisms, tests for conditions where no treatment exists, and companies that oversell the usefulness of their tests to physicians and nurses. Many scholars, both genetic testing task forces as well as the newly formed National Bioethics Advisory Commission, have all noted that genetic counseling programs and services are critical for adequate genetic testing. At the same time, in our own work at the University of Pennsylvania we have encountered many requests for new materials for training genetic counselors in ethics and providing ethics resources for genetic counseling. One of us has noted elsewhere that it is crucial that resources from the Human Genome Project, the Centers for Disease Control, and other public agencies be devoted to providing better resources for genetic counselors facing difficult ethical issues. Although the American Board of Genetic Counseling requires that training programs include some formal coursework in ethics, many wonder whether enough is being done to prepare genetic counselors for an ever-tougher job, and in particular there has been much concern expressed about whether “nondirectiveness” is an outmoded ideal that hampers this profession as it attempts to grow and identify the value of its practice. On the basis of many comments to us by genetic counselors and on the basis of our review of the current literature, we hypothesized that accredited genetic counseling training programs are poised at the turn of the century to begin planning a new approach to teaching the philosophy of genetic counseling, one that integrates philosophical, theoretical, and ethical training throughout the curriculum in genetic counseling.

Practice‐based competencies for accreditation of and training in graduate programs in genetic counseling

In January 1996, the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) adopted 27 practice-based competencies as a standard for assessing the training of graduate students in genetic counseling. These competencies were identified and refined through a collective, narrative process that took place from January through November 1994, and included directors of graduate programs in genetic counseling, ABGC board members and expert consultants. These competencies now form the basis of the document "Requirements for Graduate Programs in Genetic Counseling Seeking Accreditation by the American Board of Genetic Counseling" (American Board of Genetic Counseling, 1996). The competencies are organized into four domains and are presented and discussed in this article.

A case‐based approach to the development of practice‐based competencies for accreditation of and training in graduate programs in genetic counseling

The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) sponsored a consensus development conference with participation from directors of graduate programs in genetic counseling, board members, and expert consultants. Using a collective, narrative, and case-based approach, 27 competencies were identified as embedded in the practice of genetic counseling. These competencies were organized into four domains of skills: Communication; Critical Thinking; Interpersonal, Counseling, and Psychosocial Assessment; and Professional Ethics and Values. The adoption of a competency framework for accreditation has a variety of implications for curriculum design and implementation. We report here the process by which a set of practice-based genetic counseling competencies have been derived; and in an accompanying article, the competencies themselves are provided. We also discuss the application of the competencies to graduate program accreditation as well as some of the implications competency-based standards may have for education and the genetic counseling profession. These guidelines may also serve as a basis for the continuing education of practicing genetic counselors and a performance evaluation tool in the workplace.

Diplomates of the American board of genetic counseling

Journal of Genetic CounselingVolume 3, Issue 1 p. 67-75 Article Diplomates of the American board of genetic counseling First published: March 1994 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01414607AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume3, Issue1March 1994Pages 67-75 RelatedInformation