Become a Genetic Counsellor in 4 years

By George Kleban

There are various men and women dreaming of turning into medical doctors but are discouraged from the sheer size of time required to go after this occupation. Medical college is actually a challenging obstacle that college students must go by way of in order to become a healthcare physician. Nonetheless, genetic counseling is really a increasing profession that combines both the medical planet with all the scientific, even though skipping the 4 yr extended residency period.

Genetic Counselors often have the same undergraduate backgrounds as medical doctors, usually majoring in a science program. But while doctors go on to medical schools and complete their residency, genetic counselors can obtain a master’s degree from a university with a program accredited by the American Board of Genetic Counseling. The program includes courses also present in medical programs such as biology, psychology, and more importantly, genetics. In addition, this specialization-program trains students to be able to empathically and thoroughly explain genetic disorders to at-risk or recently diagnosed patients.

Being a genetic counselor is a rewarding and gratifying experience, similar to the experience a medical doctors, as they help people make important decisions after their diagnoses. As a matter of fact, reports show that over 90 percent of genetic counselors are satisfied with their job. There are however, certain drawbacks present in this career, most noticeable is the fact that this job can be emotionally stressful at times when presenting a diagnosis to a patient and their family. Yet this is a very important part of genetic counseling and something that students must learn how to handle during their years of study and practice.

People who frequently consult genetic counselors are couples who want to start a family but are afraid that their child will inherit a genetic illness present in their family’s genetic history. Counselors will conduct diagnoses and ultimately give a recommendation to the couple taking into consideration the extent of the eventual parents’ willingness to accept and take care of the child should the illness be passed to them. Medical doctors also consult genetic counselors to aid them in their diagnoses to that they will not overlook any detail, making them an invaluable peer to medical doctors.

With the average genetic counselor salary ranging from $60,000 up to $75,000 annually and an uptake in the awareness of genetic disorders, genetic counseling has become a more popular field as of late. Like any medical professional, they are found in doctors’ offices, hospitals, and diagnostic laboratories and some are even in public health agencies, non-profit organizations and lecturers in universities.

The salary of Genetic Counsellors are among the most competitive in the health care industry. Consider this career now!