Certification and Accreditation – Adaptation or Mutation
Genetic Counsellors are entering an exciting and stimulating stage in the development of their vocation. The academic requirements necessary for current Part 1 HGSA Certification are undergoing scrutiny on how best to prepare students for employment as an Associate Genetic Counsellor. As the profession proceeds toward accreditation as an Allied Health profession, the pressure will mount to produce postgraduate students better able to contribute to the team in the provision of Clinical Genetic Services.
Recent discussion of the need to develop and change the academic structure for Genetic Counselling Students has focussed on the time in postgraduate study. There is currently no mention or discussion of the need to instigate a programme of employment of new postgraduates into a Clinical Genetic Service.
While few employment opportunities in the public sector arise for Part 1 Certified individuals, there is an increasing need for Genetic Counsellors in private practice, for example in Ultra-sonography and IVF-clinics. In this situation individuals may work as a “Counsellor of Genetics” in the private sector as opposed to an HGSA Certified Genetic Counsellor. This could create a situation were the public sees a “Genetic Counsellor” without full HGSA Certification and thus devalue the current and future progression from Associate to Certified Genetic Counsellor.
It is vital that the profession quickly adapts to this scenario to create a united, qualified and professional exterior that the public trust and recognise. Implementing an employment program for new graduates to receive thorough training to practice ethical, non-directive and reliable genetic counselling in both the public and private sectors of medical healthcare will inhibit a “mutation” of the Genetic Counselling profession.