GENETIC COUNSELOR SENIOR 22282

11/16/93 B

This is the second class in the Genetic Counselor series. Positions in this class serve as lead counselors, or provide counseling in a specialty area such as children's specialty services, DNA testing, or fetal anomalies. Positions are distinguished from the Genetic Counselor by the degree of complexity of cases they see, independent teaching they do in the graduate genetic counseling instructional track, the supervision they provide, and their degree of administrative autonomy, responsibility, problem solving, and creativity.

Complexity of Work: Performs work of significant difficulty in providing counseling to patients with diagnosed abnormalities or risk. Coordinates fetal diagnostic and therapeutic services and clinics; counsels patients regarding more complex issues. Develops program objectives; provides professional and community educational opportunities and graduate instruction; participates in research, including input into protocols; performs statistical analyses and makes trend projections; writes special reports; coordinates conferences; supervises record and data management; creatively solves personnel, patient, and communication problems; oversees quality assurance; manages information systems.

Supervision Given: May serve as lead worker to one or more Genetic Counselors, and/or to support personnel.

Supervision Received: Receives direction from a physician specialist who may be at a different location.

Scope: Genetic clinics typically serve a multi-county region of providers and patients.

Impact of Actions: Judgments affect infant mortality and public health in a wide area of the state. Decisions may endanger the health of mother, fetus, child or family, and may have potential medico-legal ramifications. Administrative and supervisory decisions affect program direction and the work of other counselors.

Personal Contacts: Physicians, patients, laboratory staff, public health officials, laboratories throughout the world.

Knowledge: Advanced medical and scientific knowledge of genetic principles and genetic disease counseling techniques sufficient to provide sound information and advice in complex situations; informed of current research and clinical findings.

Skills: Counseling and teaching skills.

Abilities: Ability to plan, organize, assess; to teach and explain; to communicate effectively with diverse populations, physicians, and other health care workers; to conduct research activities; to interpret complex data.

QUALIFICATIONS GUIDE*

License or Certification: Possession of or eligibility for ABMG certification preferred; or extensive experience in the field.

Education or Training: Graduation from an accredited college or university in science, social science, genetics or related field. Master's degree in genetics or related field preferred. Significant relevant experience may be substituted for academic training.

Level and Type of Experience: Considerable experience in genetic counseling.

An equivalent combination of training and experience indicating possession of the preceding knowledge, skills and abilities may substitute for this education and experience.

This is a new class proposed by Virginia Commonwealth University, effective November 16, 1993.