Study Grindin' @studygrindin - Tumblr Blog

[2.20.17]

Studying for my online statistics class. I’m more in love with my surface book each day!

7.12.16 ⇢ AP Statistics part two!!

[ 11.01.17 ] my statistics exam is tomorrow and the fact i’m not that worried worries me… i feel like i can never do enough but i’m forcing myself to take breaks 🌟

[2.16.17]

After a very long hiatus from this account, I’m back on my study grind. Currently taking online CITI & IRB training so that I can help with data entry at my internship.

thetwistedhelix

The Brief History of Genetic Counseling

Or, “Why have I never heard of this before?”

Don’t worry: the first time I ever heard of genetic counseling was in the Spring semester of my Junior year of college. Even then, this first reference was only a passing mention at the end of a lecture.

The term “genetic counseling” was first coined in the mid-1950s. However, the first class of genetic counselors didn’t graduate from Sarah Lawrence College until 1971, nearly 2 decades later. In 1979, the National Society of Genetic Counselors was founded, and it is currently the largest association of genetic counselors in the world. The American Board of Genetic Counselors was only incorporated in 1993. The ABGC is responsible for accrediting programs and professionals both in the United States and Canada. As far as programs are concerned, there are 31 programs in the United States (and only 4 in Canada), the newest being Ohio State University which does not yet have a graduating class.

According to the ABGC, there are now over 3,500 certified genetic counselors. As of 2014, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there are 2,100 practicing genetic counselors. BLS statistics show that only about half U.S. states have any genetic counselors.

Image from The Bureau of Labor Statistics

Given how emergent the field remains, it’s unsurprising that many people are still unaware of the profession. However, this is one of the reasons I find the field so interesting. It’s still new and growing and every counselor has the opportunity to shape the field as it continues to expand. And it will continue to expand. As research identifies genes and links them to the causes of disease and as medicine leans toward personalized treatment, genetic counseling will only continue to become more important.

fikas-blog

Genetic counseling: How did I get here?

I am currently doing genetic counseling for my Masters degree, and most people in Indonesia don’t even know such major or such profession exists. I love being spontaneous that also got me into randomly choosing psychology. I had no idea what genetic counseling really was. I googled and most of the answers I got was that genetic counselor is predicted to be one of the most promising careers in the future. Even said to be one of the best careers in 2009 with a huge amount of income! What’s even better is I get to study for free on the government scholarship program and it gets way better when I heard that there is a chance of getting sent abroad to study with the best people all in the expenses of the scholarship. Hence, here I am in a country so foreign yet so familiar (the thousands of Hollywood movies I have seen made it seem familiar). The only thing for sure I can say, yea.. the grass is really greener on the other side :p not that I am implying anything bad of my country, but seriously.. the colors of the grass is literally different here. The color of the streets, the cold winter breeze and the shy sun makes everything seem so HD (High definition).

Anyway, I am here to briefly explain and give insight to what it is or The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) had set a definition. It is officially said that genetic counseling is the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. This process integrates:

Interpretation of family and medical histories to assess the chance of disease occurrence or recurrence.

Education about inheritance, testing, management, prevention, resources and research.

Counseling to promote informed choices and adaptation to the risk or condition.

I had doubts in the beginning, in the middle, but in the end? Well, I am still in the middle and I still have that sense of wow, what have I gotten myself into?! Maybe because I had to catch up a lot of the medical knowledge part – something of which the rest of my 10 classmates already have (9 medical doctors and 1 nurse). Unfortunately it was not something I had learned back in my psych major. However, I must say it is extremely interesting and fascinating to be able to open my eyes to other kinds of disorders that are out there. I also think it is always rewarding to be able to provide answers and reach out to people in need of understanding their circumstances. Although, they might not seem happy at first (denial is always the first stage of grief), however they will cave and reach the acceptance stage - eventually.

During my internship here in California and compared to observing genetic counseling sessions in Indonesia, I realized that the mentality and reactions of those back home are way tougher compare to the people here. Genetic counseling is a challenging job; one can only hope to do what’s best for the person’s interest.