What is Genetic Counseling?
Genetic counseling gives you information about how genetic conditions might affect you or your family. The genetic counselor or other healthcare professional will collect your personal and family health history. They can use this information to determine how likely it is that you or your family member has a genetic condition. Based on this information, the genetic counselor can help you decide whether a genetic test might be right for you or your relative. (CDC.gov) Read more about genetic counseling
Professional organizations for genetic counselors
- National Society of Genetic CounselorsThe National Society of Genetic Counselors advances the various roles of genetic counselors in health care by fostering education, research, and public policy to ensure the availability of quality genetic services.
- American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC)The ABGC's mission is to establish standards of competence for certified genetic counselors and advance their value as leaders in precision health to safeguard and serve the public.
GeneReviews
GeneReviews is an international point-of-care resource for busy clinicians, provides clinically relevant and medically actionable information for inherited conditions in a standardized journal-style format, covering diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling for patients and their families. Each chapter in GeneReviews is written by one or more experts on the specific condition or disease and goes through a rigorous editing and peer review process before being published online.
- GeneReviewsGeneReviews by Title
- GeneReviews Advanced SearchAllows the user to build complex searches in GeneReviews
- GeneReviews Resource MaterialsIncludes educational materials and resources for genetics professionals
Journal of Genetic Counseling
The Journal of Genetic Counseling (JOGC), published for the National Society of Genetic Counselors, is a timely, international forum addressing all aspects of the discipline and practice of genetic counseling. The journal focuses on the critical questions and problems that arise at the interface between rapidly advancing technological developments and the concerns of individuals and communities at genetic risk.
Point of Care & Practice Guidelines
- UpToDate This link opens in a new windowAn online clinical information resource with emphasis on internal medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, and family practice.
- DynaMed This link opens in a new windowClinical reference tool created by physicians for physicians and other health care professionals for use primarily at the point of care.
- VisualDx This link opens in a new windowA point-of-care diagnostic system, providing high-quality images to help identify and classify visible patient symptoms.
- NSGC Practice GuidelinesThe National Society of Genetic Counselors Practice Guidelines Committee works with authors to produce Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines through an established guideline process.
- ACMG Practice GuidelinesThe American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics practice guidelines, statements, and other evidence syntheses.
- ECRI Guidelines TrustECRI offers a database of practice guidelines drawn from a variety of organizations and associations. View the "Medical Genetics" section by using the "Browse Guidelines" option, or search for specific conditions.
Portals etc
- NSGC Genetic Counseling Literature RepositoryThe Research, Quality, and Outcomes (RQO) Committee of the National Society of Genetic Counselors provides the digital Genetic Counseling Literature Repository (GCLR), a searchable, PMID-linked, database completely within NSGC’s website. The NSGC GCLR is a resource to identify articles that: 1) document the value and quality of genetic counseling services and 2) describe clinical and research outcomes relevant to genetic counseling patients. This resource includes peer-reviewed scientific literature and select editorials identified via a structured search protocol, conducted monthly by members of the RQO Committee.
- Master Genetic Counselor (MGC) SeriesScroll to the bottom of the page to find the "Launch Master Genetic Counselor Series" link.
The Master Genetic Counselor (MGC) Series, made possible through the generous support of the Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship, includes digital recordings of simulated genetic counseling sessions. The series, which includes scenarios from three different specialty areas (prenatal, cancer and pediatric), is an exciting resource for practicing genetic counselors to use in a peer supervision setting or individually to promote reflective practice.
Ebooks & Chapters
Thompson & Thompson Genetics and Genomics in Medicine, 9th ed. by ISBN: 9780323547628Publication Date: 2024
Counseling about cancer : strategies for genetic counseling by ISBN: 1119466490Publication Date: 2023-03-03
"Person-centered Genetic Counselling" in Person Centered Medicine by ISBN: 3031176502Publication Date: 2023
Pubmed: Medical Genetics Special Queries
Pubmed's Medical Genetics filters limit retrieval to citations related to various topics in medical genetics. The medical genetics searches were developed in conjunction with the staff of GeneReviews: Genetic Disease Online Reviews at GeneTests, University of Washington, Seattle.
Translations/Search Information: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/help/#medical-genetics-filters
To use a Medical Genetics filter, add the filter name to your search with the search field tag [Filter], e.g., Genetic Testing[Filter]. Example search: sickle cell anemia AND genetic counseling[filter]. The available filters are:
- Diagnosis[filter]
- Differential Diagnosis[filter]
- Clinical Description[filter]
- Management[filter]
- Genetic Counseling[filter]
- Molecular Genetics[filter]
- Genetic Testing[filter]
- Medical Genetics[filter]