Genetic Counseling Paper

The perfect combination of research, personal connection, and health care. Genetic Counseling is the practice of informing and advising patients who may have a potential risk of genetic disorders concerning appropriate testing methods, medical treatment, and many other critical decisions concerning their health. I have chosen to pursue the career of genetic counseling because it fulfills the dream I have had that I will one day be able to do research concerning genetics and interact with the patients that the research would affect. My decision to become a genetic counselor has been influenced by many factors; including my high school biology class, which played a part in introducing me to the profession, and my personal discovery of the unique

Here is a real life story of a woman who has been greatly affected by genetic testing and has seen both the good and the bad of genetic testing. This is a story that was posted in an article called “6 Moms Share Their Real Prenatal Testing Stories” on the website “What to Expect” from Courtney from Lake Stevens, Washington about how genetic testing has affected her life. So for Courtney, a few weeks after her 13 week ultrasound and her quad screen her doctors told her she had a positive screen for Down syndrome. So at 17 weeks she had to go back in for another ultrasound and genetic counseling which according to kids health.org is counseling that allows a genetic counselor to evaluate the results of a genetic test with the parents and helps the parents understand and reach decisions on what to do next. Her ultrasound looked great but still had a positive screen for Down syndrome. So she was was recommended for either an amnio or verifi test. Courtney then went to genetic counseling and choose to have the verifi test done over the amnio. A week later her results came back negative for Down syndrome and confirmed the baby was a girl. Courtney said “I am glad we opted to get the verifi test done especially after the stress of getting a positive screening before. I like how that if the NIPT did turn out positive for Down syndrome, I could have prepared ahead of time for the care of a special needs child would require, rather than feeling completely caught off-guard at birth.”

Shadowing Dr Anderson allowed me to encounter the day to day problems faced by a physician. I've learned about genetic disorders and their symptoms, but I got to see how diagnosis is rarely that clear cut. Most of the patients presented with developmental delay, a symptom common to many genetic disorder. Variable expressivity and penetrance further complicates differential diagnosis. Genetic testing is required for confirmation, yet almost never covered by insurance. Out of pocket costs can be too expensive for many families to afford. Without a confirmed diagnosis, it's difficult for families to get the needed support from insurance and the government. Dr Anderson tried to avoid going through insurance by enrolling her patients in clinical

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

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.

The definition of genetic counseling is, “an educational counseling process for individuals and families who have a genetic disease or may be at risk for a disease to facilitate informed decision-making” (Definition of genetic counseling). In years past many genetic counselors have received all different types of School Improvement Grant awards (SIG). In order to become a genetic counselor one must first need to graduate college with a masters degree, pass 31 programs and then a few comprehensive exams, and constantly continue my education in the field.

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

Genetic counseling is for older child bearing mothers seeking counseling for the best course to take with giving birth. In most cases this is for older women who are becoming mothers. It is common that the baby could be born with a hereditary disorder and genetic problems due to the mothers high chromosomal abnormalities. As a young mothers pregnancy it is 1 in every 200 pregnancies to have this problem, for older mothers the rate is 1 in every 20 pregnancies. (schonberg&tifft, 2007) Some disorders for the baby are common and controllable, such as blood disorders. But there is also high risk of premature birth or miscarriage. These extra genes include diseases like cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, Huntington disease, and nervous system

It is stressful to think about inherited diseases or genetic conditions that run in the family. Just thinking about putting myself in that situation is emotionally draining. I cannot imagine those people who deal with that kind of circumstances in real life. This makes me wonder whether there is an interventions offered by clinical genetics services to minimize the emotional burdensome to patients. I believe that genetic services and counseling would probably be beneficial for this type of situations. Genetic Alliance is a great program that provides support to families affected individuals and families , so they can better understand their available resources, information, and support that will help them access to quality services (Romelczyk

You are sitting in the counselor's office, waiting. You are staring at the walls, trying not to think about what you are considering, but still thinking about it. Will I get cancer? Do I have the gene that will increase my likelihood of getting cancer ? My grandmother had cancer. Two of my aunts have had cancer. What about me? If I have this test, what happens then? The door opens and in walks the counselor. Time to find out about genetic screening.

Genetic information can be identified at any point throughout a person’s lifespan from pre-conception until after death. In addition to heritable, biological information, family history, genetic test results, and medical records are also sources of genetic information” (Jenkins & Lea, 2005). We are put in a position to gather and retain information that could be utilized for a better future, but is confidentiality involved for the sake of profiting? Ask yourself, who should have access to genetic information? Who owns and controls it? How can families resolve conflicts when some members want to be tested for a genetic disorder and others do not?

Companies like 23andMe and Navigenics (now part of Life Technologies) have tried to offer a service for genetic analysis of individuals for health-related purposes. These companies were sent letters stating that their genetic tests are basically medical devices and thus require FDA approval before such services can be offered. Later 23andMe was ordered to stop selling their genetic testing products used for health-related purposes (23andMe still sells their genealogical genetic testing products). Two discussion topics:

This case study reports a client who underwent elective direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing in the absence of genetic counseling and discovered she had a BRCA mutation. The DTC she took was a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray analysis advertised online. It was found that she had high levels of anxiety, distress and a lack of knowledge of what the DTC test outlined. The client admitted not being mentally prepared for the information she received. Genetic counseling helped lower her anxiety levels and eventually left her feeling empowered. The outcome of this case study supports that significant distress may be caused by DTC tests. Pre and post genetic counseling in conjunction with DTC may eradicate most of this stress.

In developed countries, there are special genetic counseling departments who help the families to become aware about the condition and to have improved outcome. The team consist of haematologists or blood specialists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists and health care providers who help the families to understand the condition, its prevention and treatment.

In the United States, an estimated 2.3 million couples are considered infertile [Wekesser, 1996]. This creates a large need for infertility specialists and clinics specializing in fertility treatments. With the quickly advancing field of rep roductive services and the quest for creating better, healthier babies, a new service called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is being offered in conjunction with In vitro fertilization.