Department of Genetic Counseling, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.
Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
J Genet Couns. 2021 Apr;30(2):574-587. doi: 10.1002/jgc4.1346. Epub 2020 Oct 30.
In response to mounting concerns regarding a perceived shortage of genetic counselors, the Genetic Counselor Workforce Working Group (WFWG) was established in 2013 to identify barriers to growth of the genetic counseling workforce. After completing a workforce analysis and confirming a shortage, the WFWG convened a strategic planning session in 2017 to identify goals and strategies that would increase the number of certified counselors to meet the current and future workforce demands and ensure access to genetic counselor services. Subcommittees were formed and charged with achieving assigned goals; one such subcommittee included a curriculum working group to build a dynamic and effective educational infrastructure to increase the number of genetic counselors graduated from accredited training program. This paper reports of progress of the WFWG Curriculum Subcommittee toward achieving this goal through a narrative literature review that identifies innovative education methods that help to increase capacity of fieldwork training, both in genetic counseling training programs and in other health professions. Of the five thematic areas identified in this study, four are analyzed for insight into building clinical capacity: systems/infrastructure, rotation structure/models, skill building, and novel techniques. While additional studies are needed to establish best practices in these thematic areas, there are several take-aways that training programs can begin to utilize as they look to expand training opportunities. While growth of the genetic counseling workforce will continue to be a long-term issue, programs should begin to think creatively and innovatively about how to reach beyond traditional fieldwork training formats to build capacity. The strategies explored in this paper offer feasible and untapped solutions that can help support efforts to establish a sustainable genetic counseling workforce.
针对人们对遗传咨询师短缺的担忧日益加剧，遗传咨询师劳动力工作组（WFWG）于 2013 年成立，旨在确定影响遗传咨询师劳动力增长的障碍。在完成劳动力分析并确认短缺后，WFWG 于 2017 年召开了一次战略规划会议，以确定目标和战略，增加认证咨询师的数量，以满足当前和未来的劳动力需求，并确保获得遗传咨询师服务的机会。成立了小组委员会来实现分配的目标；其中一个小组委员会包括一个课程工作组，旨在建立一个动态有效的教育基础设施，以增加从认可的培训计划毕业的遗传咨询师数量。本文通过对文献的叙述性回顾，报告了 WFWG 课程小组委员会在实现这一目标方面的进展情况，该文献确定了有助于增加实地培训能力的创新教育方法，包括遗传咨询培训计划和其他健康专业领域。在本研究确定的五个主题领域中，有四个领域从以下几个方面进行了分析，以了解建立临床能力的方法：系统/基础设施、轮转结构/模式、技能培养和新方法。虽然需要进一步的研究来确定这些主题领域的最佳实践，但培训计划可以开始利用一些经验，因为它们希望扩大培训机会。虽然遗传咨询师劳动力的增长将继续是一个长期问题，但各计划应开始创造性地思考如何超越传统的实地培训模式来建立能力。本文探讨的策略提供了可行且未开发的解决方案，可以帮助支持建立可持续的遗传咨询师劳动力的努力。
