Genetic Counselor

Jump to:

Job Description

Genetic counselors offer people advice and information about medical genetics, using their focused graduate degrees and training as health professionals.

Biology, genetics, psychology, public health, nursing, and similar fields all provide a springboard into this discipline.

When individuals want to undergo genetic testing to assess their disease risk, genetic counselors offer vital help with improving peoples' comprehension of genetic risk factors.

They highlight the meaning of genetics and disease as it relates to family, psychological condition, and overall medical care, and assist people in accepting these factors.

Responsibilities

Genetic counselors also research family medical history, aiding individuals in pinpointing potential genetic predispositions so that they can get the tests they need most.

They educate patients on the risks of contracting particular ailments based on genetic information and family histories.

Their responsibilities include:

Performing analyses on patient and family histories
Conducting genetic testing procedures
Performing genetic risk exams and consult patients
Educating individuals, family members, and loved ones on patient health risks
Counseling patients upon diagnosis and assist with management.

Skills

Communication	Must effectively communicate with your co-workers to ensure the best care and the proper procedures. Must be able to communicate in high-stress environments.
Active Listening	Offering your full attention to an individual person or group in order to fully understand problems and their nature.
Critical Thinking	Must use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making	Needs to be able to act autonomously and make difficult decisions that would benefit the patient or make corrections. Must consider all benefits and repercussions of potential actions and choose the appropriate one.
Complex Problem Solving	Must be able to identify complex problems and develop and evaluate corrective options and implement solutions.
Stress Management	Must be able to endure intense situations and handle pressure that comes with extreme situations you may encounter.
Trustworthiness	Must be trustworthy because you have people's lives in your hands and what you do could help or hurt them. They are entrusted with a great responsibility and must live up to it.
Perceptiveness	Gauging how people react and read their body language to decipher their feelings and predict their actions. They must be able to determine if people could be a risk to themselves or others and to distinguish truths from lies.

Working Conditions

Genetic counselors typically work in clinical settings such as hospitals, doctor's offices, laboratories, research institutes, insurance companies, and various other areas throughout the healthcare industry. Most work the standard 40-hour week.

Salary Outlook

$60,953 25^th Percentile

$67,505 50^th Percentile

$75,122 75^th Percentile

$29.30 Hourly

$32.45 Hourly

$36.12 Hourly

Estimated Annual Salary	Average Hourly Wage	Positions Nationwide
$58,610.00	$28.18	2,000

Resources

Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC)

Accredited Genetic Counseling Programs (AGCP)

American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC)

American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG)

Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors (CAGC)

National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC)

Title	Company	Location	Posted
Genetic Counselor	Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System	Spartanburg, SC	05.01.2017
Masters Prepared Required The Medical Group of the Carolina is seeking a Genetic Counselor for their Medical Oncology Division. The Genetic Counselor will provide genetic counseling to patients identified with predisposing characteristics...
GENETIC COUNSELOR OBSTETRICS	TriHealth	Cincinnati, OH	04.28.2017
The genetic counselor for obstetrics is responsible for providing prenatal and preconception genetic counseling consultation to clients with emphasis on risk assessment of fetal genetic condition(s), recurrence risk of genetic condition(s) and/or...
Genetic Counselor (Pediatrics & Womens)	Medical University of South Carolina	Charleston, SC	06.24.2017
Conducts patient/family interviews to obtain medical and family histories. Provides genetic counseling to individuals and their families. Assists in coordinating genetic testing. Helps to interpret genetic test results and communicate results...
Genetic Counselor II	VCU Health System	Richmond, VA	07.21.2017
- Masters degree is required Join an Expanding Academic Clinical and Laboratory Genetics Program The Division of Clinical Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System is seeking applicants for a full time Genetic...
GENETIC COUNSELOR III	Carilion Clinic	Roanoke, VA	07.21.2017
Supports Carilion's hallmarks of service excellence and quality for all job responsibilities. Support Carilion's hallmarks of service excellence and quality for all job responsibilities. Serve as a preceptor and mentor for other genetic...
Genetic Counselor Job	Mayo Clinic - Rochester	Rochester, MN	07.08.2017
Department: Center for Individualized Medicine A Life-Changing Career Responsibilities: Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN is pleased to announce new Genetic Counselor opportunities in the Center for Individualized Medicine (CIM). CIM has been...
GENETIC COUNSELOR I	Carilion Clinic	Roanoke, VA	07.21.2017
Supports Carilion's hallmarks of service excellence and quality for all job responsibilities. Provide genetic evaluation and counseling services to patients, significant others and/or family members with, or at risk for, medical genetic...
Genetic Counselor III	Baystate Health	Springfield, MA	05.26.2017
As the Baystate Genetic Counselor you will focus on Hereditary Cancer If you are an innovative, organized and a compassionate care giver, looking for a different way to use your genetic counseling skills, this position could provide a great...
Genetic Counselor - Maternal Fetal Medicine	St. Luke's Health System	Boise, ID	07.21.2017
Genetic Counselor St. Lukes Health System Boise, Idaho St. Lukes Health System has an exciting opportunity for a BC/BE Genetic Counselor to join our Maternal Fetal Medicine team in beautiful Boise, Idaho! The Genetic Counselor will work...
Genetic Counselor-Genetics Clinic (St. Paul)	Children's Minnesota	Minneapolis, MN	05.30.2017
The Genetic Counselor is a mid-level healthcare professional who works to identify hereditary conditions in patients and their families, and educates families and other healthcare providers about the cause, inheritance pattern and medical...
Laboratory Genetic Counselor - Molecular Genetics Job	Mayo Clinic - Rochester	Rochester, MN	06.24.2017
Department: DLMP Lab Med and Path A Life-Changing Career Position Summary: Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN, has immediate openings for multiple full-time molecular-based Laboratory Genetic Counselors in support of several genetic specialty...
Genetic Counselor - Mountain States Tumor Institute	St. Luke's Health System	Boise, ID	07.21.2017
Genetic Counselor - St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute Boise, Idaho St. Lukes Health System is seeking two BC/BE Genetic Counselor to join our dynamic genetic counseling team. Genetic Counselors at St. Luke' are responsible for...
Genetic Counselor - Women's Institute - Part Time	Carolinas HealthCare System	Charlotte, NC	12.16.2016
Job Req ID: 119837 Position Number: 00100531 Employment Type: Part Time Shift: Day Shift Details : 8am-5pm/3 days a week (shift will vary) Standard Hours: 30.00 Department Name: Women's Institute...
GENETIC COUNSELOR-ONCOLOGY	TriHealth	Cincinnati, OH	06.23.2017
This position is responsible for providing cancer genetic counseling consultation to clients with emphasis on personalized hereditary cancer risk assessment, education on appropriateness and availabiity of genetic tets, intrepretation, testing...
Genetic Counselor Job	Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare	Memphis, TN	06.27.2017
Provides expertise in clinical genetics to counsel, communicate, and support families on the implications of genetic disorders. Assesses risk, investigates and identifies potential genetic problems, interprets and analyzes information,...

Genetic Counselor Spartanburg, SC Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
Masters Prepared Required The Medical Group of the Carolina is seeking a Genetic Counselor for their Medical Oncology Division. The Genetic Counselor will provide genetic counseling to patients identified with predisposing characteristics...
GENETIC COUNSELOR OBSTETRICS Cincinnati, OH TriHealth
The genetic counselor for obstetrics is responsible for providing prenatal and preconception genetic counseling consultation to clients with emphasis on risk assessment of fetal genetic condition(s), recurrence risk of genetic condition(s) and/or...
Genetic Counselor (Pediatrics & Womens) Charleston, SC Medical University of South Carolina
Conducts patient/family interviews to obtain medical and family histories. Provides genetic counseling to individuals and their families. Assists in coordinating genetic testing. Helps to interpret genetic test results and communicate results...
Genetic Counselor II Richmond, VA VCU Health System
- Masters degree is required Join an Expanding Academic Clinical and Laboratory Genetics Program The Division of Clinical Genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System is seeking applicants for a full time Genetic...
GENETIC COUNSELOR III Roanoke, VA Carilion Clinic
Supports Carilion's hallmarks of service excellence and quality for all job responsibilities. Support Carilion's hallmarks of service excellence and quality for all job responsibilities. Serve as a preceptor and mentor for other genetic...
Genetic Counselor Job Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic - Rochester
Department: Center for Individualized Medicine A Life-Changing Career Responsibilities: Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN is pleased to announce new Genetic Counselor opportunities in the Center for Individualized Medicine (CIM). CIM has been...
GENETIC COUNSELOR I Roanoke, VA Carilion Clinic
Supports Carilion's hallmarks of service excellence and quality for all job responsibilities. Provide genetic evaluation and counseling services to patients, significant others and/or family members with, or at risk for, medical genetic...
Genetic Counselor III Springfield, MA Baystate Health
As the Baystate Genetic Counselor you will focus on Hereditary Cancer If you are an innovative, organized and a compassionate care giver, looking for a different way to use your genetic counseling skills, this position could provide a great...
Genetic Counselor - Maternal Fetal Medicine Boise, ID St. Luke's Health System
Genetic Counselor St. Lukes Health System Boise, Idaho St. Lukes Health System has an exciting opportunity for a BC/BE Genetic Counselor to join our Maternal Fetal Medicine team in beautiful Boise, Idaho! The Genetic Counselor will work...
Genetic Counselor-Genetics Clinic (St. Paul) Minneapolis, MN Children's Minnesota
The Genetic Counselor is a mid-level healthcare professional who works to identify hereditary conditions in patients and their families, and educates families and other healthcare providers about the cause, inheritance pattern and medical...
Laboratory Genetic Counselor - Molecular Genetics Job Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic - Rochester
Department: DLMP Lab Med and Path A Life-Changing Career Position Summary: Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN, has immediate openings for multiple full-time molecular-based Laboratory Genetic Counselors in support of several genetic specialty...
Genetic Counselor - Mountain States Tumor Institute Boise, ID St. Luke's Health System
Genetic Counselor - St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute Boise, Idaho St. Lukes Health System is seeking two BC/BE Genetic Counselor to join our dynamic genetic counseling team. Genetic Counselors at St. Luke' are responsible for...
Genetic Counselor - Women's Institute - Part Time Charlotte, NC Carolinas HealthCare System
Job Req ID: 119837 Position Number: 00100531 Employment Type: Part Time Shift: Day Shift Details : 8am-5pm/3 days a week (shift will vary) Standard Hours: 30.00 Department Name: Women's Institute...
GENETIC COUNSELOR-ONCOLOGY Cincinnati, OH TriHealth
This position is responsible for providing cancer genetic counseling consultation to clients with emphasis on personalized hereditary cancer risk assessment, education on appropriateness and availabiity of genetic tets, intrepretation, testing...
Genetic Counselor Job Memphis, TN Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Provides expertise in clinical genetics to counsel, communicate, and support families on the implications of genetic disorders. Assesses risk, investigates and identifies potential genetic problems, interprets and analyzes information,...