Genetic counseling globally: Where are we now?

Abstract

The genetic counseling profession is continuing to develop globally, with countries in various stages of development. In some, the profession has been in existence for decades and is increasingly recognized as an important provider of allied health, while in others it is just beginning. In this article, we describe the current global landscape of the genetic counseling specialty field's professional development. Using examples of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and various countries in Asia, we highlight the following: (a) status of genetic counseling training programs, (b) availability of credentialing through government and professional bodies (certification, registration, and licensure), and potential for international reciprocity, (c) scope of clinical practice, and (d) health‐care system disparities and cultural differences impacting on practice. The successful global implementation of precision medicine will require both an increased awareness of the importance of the profession of “genetic counselor” and flexibility in how genetic counselors are incorporated into each country's health‐care market. In turn, this will require more collaboration within and across nations, along with continuing engagement of existing genetic counseling professional societies.

A genetic counseling needs assessment of Mexico

“…To implement an independent genetic counseling profession in Mexico, thought must be put into what type of training would best suit the current infrastructure. Our study participants agree that the most appropriate way to train genetic counselors in Mexico would be to offer a 2‐year Masters training program, similar to the approach taken in the Philippines and other countries (e.g., Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia) (Ormond et al, ). Furthermore, they suggest the training program focus on individuals who have a background in a health‐related field.…”

“…Furthermore, they suggest the training program focus on individuals who have a background in a health‐related field. There is significant variation across different countries and training programs about whether genetic counseling trainees must have prior health‐related training and experience or are accepted with scientific bachelor's degrees (Ormond et al, ).…”

Genetic counseling education at the undergraduate level: An outreach initiative to promote professional recruitment and support workforce development

“…Although the field has grown in India and elsewhere since the course was conceived in the year 2016, there are still several challenges surrounding genetic counseling workforce development. These challenges, including relatively low awareness of the genetic counseling profession, limited opportunities for shadowing, lack of national recognition of genetic counseling as a healthcare service, and lack of establishment of practice standards, are not unique to India (Baty, 2018; Bucio, Ormond, Hernandez, Bustamante, & Lopez Pineda, 2019; Laurino et al, 2017; Ormond et al, 2018; Sun, Liang, Zhu, Shen, & He, 2019). Country‐specific studies to assess the factors that influence workforce development could be beneficial in providing a framework for growth of the profession.…”

Lexigene®: An online medical genetics translation tool to facilitate communication

“…Later, additional publications also described the importance of diversifying the population of GCs (Lega, Veach, Ward, & LeRoy, ; Schoonveld, Veach, & LeRoy, ), and in 2011, an entire issue of the JOGC was dedicated to GCs’ cultural competency. More recently, Ormond et al () described the availability of genetic counseling globally and highlighted the challenge of this service being offered in different languages. Despite these efforts, data from the 2018 National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Professional Status Survey showed that only 14% of respondents (364/2,543) provide genetic counseling in a language other than English, including Spanish (169/364) and French (44/364) (NSGC, ).…”

“…Later, additional publications also described the importance of diversifying the population of GCs (Lega, Veach, Ward, & LeRoy, 2005;Schoonveld, Veach, & LeRoy, 2007), and in 2011, an entire issue of the JOGC was dedicated to GCs' cultural competency. More recently, Ormond et al (2018) described the availability of genetic counseling globally and highlighted the challenge of this service being offered in different languages. Despite these efforts, data from the 2018…”