Genetic Counsellors in the Private Sector: Development of a Service
Until recently, employment of HGSA certified genetic counsellors in Queensland has been entirely within the public sector, with very few new positions initiated over the last decade, therefore employment and Part 2 training opportunities for recent graduates have been limited. This situation appears to be common to other Australian states. We present an overview of the process involved in the development of a genetic counselling service in a private obstetric and gynaecological imaging practice, and discuss the challenges and rewards of the genetic counsellor’s role in this setting. The medical directors of the service had elected to consult with experienced certified genetic counsellors and other healthcare specialists from the early stages of conceptual planning. Their intention was to create a service that provides the best multidisciplinary expertise possible. With this goal in mind, planning included provision for adequate supervision for genetic counsellors, particularly for a new graduate with limited prenatal experience. This approach verifies the growing acceptance of the role of genetic counselling in the provision of optimal patient care. A summary of the caseload from the first year of practice will be presented, a comparison will be made with prenatal genetic counselling services in the public system in Queensland and some conjecture about the future of private genetic counselling services and employment opportunities in this sector will be offered.