Certification in Genetic Counselling
TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION IN GENETIC COUNSELLING
Process of Genetic Counselling
Guideline No 2008GL01 Replaces Guidelines for the Practice of Genetic Counselling, Version l
(1999GL01).
The process of genetic counselling is complex as it is a communication process which involves making or discussing a diagnosis, providing accurate information about the disorder and options available to the client, and considering the impact the information has on clients and their families. Harper defines genetic counselling as “the process by which patients and relatives at risk of a disorder that may be hereditary are advised of the consequences of the disorder, the probability of developing or transmitting it and of the ways in which this may be prevented, avoided or ameliorated”.1 Integral to this process are the clients’ and families’ emotional and psychological responses as well as social issues. These need to be acknowledged, addressed and supported for effective genetic counselling.
The information needs to be presented in a meaningful and non-judgemental way and be pertinent to the needs of the clients. Genetic counselling aims to guide clients to make use of the information that is provided and may involve discussing various options, beliefs and values. A key role of the genetic counsellor is to facilitate decision making by clients as they consider the risk and burden of the disorder, the range of options available to them, in light of their beliefs and values.
The diagnosis and information discussed in genetic counselling often has implications for blood relatives. This can impact on relationships, family dynamics and obligations felt towards other family members. Individuals may need to balance their feelings of obligation to pass on information to other family members against their concern about loss of personal privacy.
This process involves multiple steps including pre-clinic contact with clients, the clinical consultation and follow-up with clients as well as record keeping and often literature and database searches. To ensure the effectiveness of genetic counselling a multi-disciplinary team of professionals is involved. These include the clinical geneticist, genetic counsellor, social worker or other allied health worker as appropriate and administrative staff (see Guidelines for the Structure of Clinical Genetics Units in Australasia in the Policy section of this website).
HGSA Policy on Certification in Genetic Counselling
Guidelines for Certification in Genetic Counselling Parts 1 and 2
Genetic Counsellors Certified overseas
Graduates of recognised postgraduate genetic counselling programs in the UK, Canada and USA are eligible to submit applications in response to advertised genetic counselling positions in Australia and New Zealand. As the majority of available positions in Australasia are advertised via the Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors (ASGC) listserver, the most efficient way to become aware of current employment opportunities is to join the HGSA and ASGC as an overseas member. (http://hgsa.com.au/index.cfm?pid=111482).
In addition, please note that genetic counsellors who have been granted full certification / registration by these countries' genetic counselling professional organisation may also be eligible for reciprocal full certification in Australia (see BOC website details).
Updates to the Current Guidelines for Certification in Genetic Counselling 2004-2009
Updates to the Current Guidelines for Certification in Genetic Counselling 2004-2009
A number of people have commented that there have been updates to the guidelines that are not available on the HGSA website. Here is a summary of changes that have been made and a few reminders for candidates:
Part 1 candidates:
Please note that we require a certified copy of your academic transcript or diploma with your application.
Long cases:
The Board introduced a word limit of 4000 words (about 10 pages) for each long case during 2007. Of this, the discussion sections should be approximately 2000 words. Some cases may be shorter however we would expect that they would not be greater than the limit, which we believe encourages concise presentation of relevant information.
The Board has noted that a number of people are referencing general texts, for example the Oxford guide, rather than articles. We would encourage you to limit this type of referencing and to seek the primary source, for example the original article. There is a place for referencing text books, for example when they raise new ideas or principles, but in general we would encourage you to seek out the primary source. The Board prefers candidates to use the Harvard/APA style of referencing, which is the same style used by the Journal of Genetic Counselling. You can find details about this style of referencing on the internet, for example Wikipedia has useful information about this. We also encourage candidates to have someone else proof-read their cases for them and to cross-check the reference list with the references cited in the text.
We ask that people who are making re-submissions of a particular part of a case include a copy of the whole case with the re-submission, as this will make the reviewer’s job easier. For example, if you are asked to re-submit the counselling discussion, please include the background information and details of the consultations with the re-submission.
Please use a reasonably sized font for your cases, for example Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11.
We have included a number of pro-formas with this update, including a front page form for long cases. Please make sure that each case has a completed form attached to it.
Logbook cases:
Please number your cases as this makes it easier for the Board to keep track of how many you have submitted. The guidelines request candidates submit 50 logbook cases annually if you are working full time. The Board is happy to accept submissions of 50 cases annually or 25 cases every 6 months. Candidates who are working part time should submit on a pro rata basis. Please ensure you submit a logbook summary sheet with each logbook submission.
Reports:
Supervisors’ reports are required annually (as per the training guidelines). These reports are considered to be an integral part of the training and assessment process so the Board will not review a submission unless the reports are current.
Continuing Education reports are required annually (as per the training guidelines). It is easier for us to assess these if they are in a table format which includes type of training, topic etc.
Reciprocal certification:
We are reviewing the guidelines for reciprocal certification as part of the training and certification review. We will not be accepting applications for reciprocal certification until the new guidelines are complete. We anticipate that this will be in 2010.
General reminders:
A reminder that the Board is no longer accepting electronic submissions due to difficulties reviewers experienced accessing some of these. Please send 4 copies of the submission to the HGSA secretariat PO Box 362 Alexandra VIC 3714. The closing dates for submissions are 31 January and 31 July each year. Please double-side your cases if possible, and some form of binding is also appreciated by the reviewers. Mandy does a fantastic job of collating and sending your submissions on to the reviewers and it makes her job a lot easier if your submission is securely clipped together.
Please include an application form for part 2 certification with every submission as this is extremely helpful for us. This enables us to update our records and note any other changes regarding supervisors or hours of work. Please also include a covering letter with every submission stating items that are included in the submission as this enables us to track any losses.
Proforma for Part 1 Submission
Proforma for Part 2 Submission FORM 2009
Covering Page for Long Case Submission
Frameworkegforlongcases.pdf
Logbook Cases Summary Sheet
Proforma for Genetic Counselling Supervisor
OngoingEducationReport
Proforma Maintenance of Professional Standards
MaintenanceofProfessionalStandardsFORM.pdf
Change in requirements for Part 1 Certification
7 July 2009
Hello everyone
I am writing on behalf of the Board and the oversight committee that is currently undertaking the review of training and certification in genetic counseling. The current program has been in place approximately 20 years and, with changes in the academic genetic counseling courses, it was timely to extensively review and revise the training and certification guidelines.
The purpose of this message is to notify you of changes to the requirements for HGSA part 1 in genetic counselling.
As you would be aware, currently candidates for part 1 must have either completed a 1 year FTE graduate diploma in genetic counselling or demonstrated that they have the requisite genetic and counseling skills by means of a checklist.
As a committee, we have agreed that the Board will not accept any further new applications to do part 1 by checklist after 31 July 2009. This change does not affect people who have already started part 1 using the checklist option and have had their proposal accepted by the Board.
The Board and Oversight Committee are continuing to consider pathways to achieving Part 1.
Details of the requirements for Part 1 will be published once they have been ratified by the HGSA Council.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Board if you have any questions regarding training. We can be contacted through the HGSA secretariat.
With kind regards
Alison McEwen
Chair, Board of Censors for Genetic Counselling
Change in requirements for Part 1 Certification
7 July 2009
Hello everyone
I am writing on behalf of the Board and the oversight committee that is currently undertaking the review of training and certification in genetic counseling. The current program has been in place approximately 20 years and, with changes in the academic genetic counseling courses, it was timely to extensively review and revise the training and certification guidelines.
The purpose of this message is to notify you of changes to the requirements for HGSA part 1 in genetic counselling.
As you would be aware, currently candidates for part 1 must have either completed a 1 year FTE graduate diploma in genetic counselling or demonstrated that they have the requisite genetic and counseling skills by means of a checklist.
As a committee, we have agreed that the Board will not accept any further new applications to do part 1 by checklist after 31 July 2009. This change does not affect people who have already started part 1 using the checklist option and have had their proposal accepted by the Board.
The Board and Oversight Committee are continuing to consider pathways to achieving Part 1.
Details of the requirements for Part 1 will be published once they have been ratified by the HGSA Council.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Board if you have any questions regarding training. We can be contacted through the HGSA secretariat.
With kind regards
Alison McEwen
Chair, Board of Censors for Genetic Counselling