Genetic Counselor

Stanford Medicine Children's Health•Palo Alto, CA

2d•$57 - $71•Onsite

About The Position

Genetic Counselors provide professional genetic counseling, education, and emotional support to patients and families, particularly those with a family history of birth defects or genetic disorders or who may be at risk for inherited conditions. They help patients understand and adapt to the medical, psychosocial, and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease. The role involves analyzing family medical histories and genetic test results to assess disease occurrence or recurrence risk; explaining genetic diagnoses; and providing education about inheritance, testing, management, prevention, resources, and research. Genetic Counselors also make referrals for social services, counsel patients and families to support informed choices and adjustment to risk or diagnosis, and provide teaching and consultation to health professionals and students. The position works with patients, families, referring clinicians, and the broader health care team. It includes collecting detailed family and pregnancy histories, reviewing medical records and genetics literature, developing clinically appropriate counseling plans, coordinating and interpreting genetic testing, documenting cases, and supporting the development and implementation of care plans. The role also provides specialty consultation and education to health care professionals, students, and hospital departments.

Requirements

Master's degree in a work-related field or discipline from an accredited college or university.
Genetic Counselor license/certification by the State of California.
Ability to develop clinically appropriate genetic counseling plans.
Ability to ensure recommended testing is completed and patients are appropriately informed of results.
Ability to present relevant genetic information compassionately and effectively to individuals and families from diverse cultural backgrounds and help them obtain needed medical and social services.
Ability to provide genetic, medical, and technical information comprehensively and understandably in a nondirective manner.
Knowledge of and ability to apply genetic counseling methods and techniques.
Knowledge of genetic diseases and disorders, birth defects, risks and options, and prenatal diagnosis screening tools.

Responsibilities

Help families understand options for managing genetic disorder risk, choose a course of action, and adjust to an affected family member’s condition or the risk of recurrence.
Counsel patients about genetic disorders, inheritance patterns, recurrence risks, and management, communicating complex genetic information and addressing its emotional impact in understandable terms.
Determine current knowledge about specific diagnoses, including testing methods, treatment options, and genetic basis, and recommend specialized genetic testing.
Educate patients about risks and options, disease signs and symptoms, recurrence probability, prognosis, diagnostic procedures, and available courses of action.
Explain the implications, risks, and benefits of genetic testing; coordinate testing; interpret results; and communicate results to patients and referring clinicians.
Maintain case documentation and prepare detailed genetic counseling summary letters for referring clinicians.
Refer patients and families to social service agencies, parent support groups, and other specialists as appropriate.
Obtain detailed family and pregnancy histories, identify risk factors and inheritance patterns, obtain and analyze pertinent medical records, review genetics literature, develop counseling plans, and obtain and document informed consent for procedures and tests.
Provide specialty consultation and education to health care professionals, health sciences students, and staff on genetic diseases, birth defects, prenatal diagnosis, and genetic screening; respond to inquiries from hospital departments and clinics.
Review referrals and prioritize counseling cases based on factors such as maternal age, family history, pregnancy stage, and likelihood of recurrence.
Work with the health care team to develop and implement the care plan.
Follow hospital policies and procedures, Service Standards, Code of Conduct, Joint Commission requirements, and applicable patient safety, quality, training, and compliance standards.