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Assessing the current state of affairs surrounding education on counseling direct-to-consumer testing patients through surveying genetic counseling program directors
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Swartz, Erin. Assessing the current state of affairs surrounding education on counseling direct-to-consumer testing patients through surveying genetic counseling program directors. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-8pdy-c454

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TitleAssessing the current state of affairs surrounding education on counseling direct-to-consumer testing patients through surveying genetic counseling program directors
NameSwartz, Erin (author); Rispoli Joines, Jessica (chair); Rutgers University; School of Graduate Studies
Date Created2020
Other Date2020-05 (degree)
SubjectGenetic counseling, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Extent1 online resource (iv, 31 pages)
DescriptionDirect-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing is highly popular but often met with skepticism. Consumers who purchase DTC genetic testing commonly have questions or concerns about their test. Even though they are often not sought out directly, genetic counselors (GCs) may be uniquely poised as the best health care professionals to interface with these consumers. Therefore, genetic counselors should be educated and prepared to counsel consumers of DTC genetic testing. However, most practicing genetic counselors do not feel confident discussing DTC genetic testing with patients. In an effort to evaluate how current genetic counseling students are being educated on DTC genetic testing and whether the next generation of genetic counselors may be better equipped to counsel these patients, we investigated current curricula for genetic counseling training programs by surveying genetic counseling program directors. We found that 95.65% of genetic counseling programs surveyed include some level of education on DTC genetic testing in their programs’ curriculum and about half of programs are assessing the effectiveness of their education. Students are being educated about DTC genetic testing through combinations of course lectures, optional guest lectures, journal clubs, grand rounds, clinical rotations, non-clinical industry rotations, professional meetings, and small group discussions. It appears that genetic counseling students are being exposed to multiple aspects of DTC genetic testing via a variety of methods and settings. However, the effectiveness of this education is unclear because most students are not being assessed on what they are taught. These results suggest that while education on DTC genetic testing is established at most genetic counseling programs, it is neither standardized nor proven effective for training future genetic counselors to advise DTC test consumers.
NoteM.S.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses, ETD graduate
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-8pdy-c454
LanguageEnglish
CollectionSchool of Graduate Studies Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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