370
Genetic counseling is never a static profession. Discoveries in the field make it
imperative that you engage in lifelong learning. It is also important to take care of
your physical and emotional health and to reflect on the impact of professional and
personal experiences on your practice. The NSGC Code of Ethics (Appendix B) and
the ACGC Practice-Based Competencies (Appendix A) reflect the imperative to act
in ways that enable your professional development (ACGC 2015 ; NSGC 2017 ).
Section 1 of the NSGC Code of Ethics encourages genetic counselors to
“Continue their education and training to keep abreast of relevant guidelines, regu-
lations, position statements, and standards of genetic counseling practice” and to
“Be responsible for their own physical and emotional health as it impacts their pro-
fessional judgment and performance, including seeking professional support, as
needed” (NSGC 2017 ).
Domain IV of the ACGC Practice-Based Competencies describes competencies
related to professional development, including “Demonstrate a self-reflective, evi-
denced based and current approach to genetic counseling practice” (ACGC 2015 ).
Activities and skills that contribute to the development of this competency include
the following:
- Display initiative for lifelong learning.
- Recognize one’s limitations and capabilities in the context of genetic counseling
practice. - Seek feedback and respond appropriately to performance critique.
- Demonstrate a scholarly approach to genetic counseling, including using avail-
able evidence-based principles in the preparation and execution of a genetic
counseling encounter. - Identify appropriate individual and/or group opportunities for ongoing personal
supervision and mentorship. - Accept responsibility for one’s physical and emotional health as it impacts on
professional performance.
Although at first glance, this may all sound a bit daunting, you can take encourage-
ment from the experience of your genetic counseling colleagues. Runyon et al. ( 2010 )
surveyed 184 genetic counselors, asking them two open-ended questions: “What is
the most important thing you have learned about yourself in your practice as a genetic
counselor”; and “What advice would you offer to genetic counseling students just
starting their career?” (p. 373). Responses to the first question were coded into three
themes: intrapersonal lessons, interpersonal lessons, and professional lessons.
Intrapersonal lessons included: - Self-efficacy (e.g., how to more accurately assess their abilities and set realistic
expectations for their professional performance; developed increased confidence
because of how they handled difficult situations). - Synergy between personal and professional life experiences (e.g., experiences in
their personal life increased their ability to understand patient situations, and pro-
fessional experiences helped clarify perspectives and appreciation of their own life
experiences; importance of self-care; and setting boundaries to avoid burnout).
13 Professionalism: Ethically Based Reflective Practice