Vercruyssen Anna K, Yashar Beverly M, Stalburg Caren M, Marvin Monica
Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Department of Learning Health Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
J Genet Couns. 2025 Feb;34(1):e2023. doi: 10.1002/jgc4.2023.
Since the first genetic counseling program (GCP) was established in 1969, there has been a proliferation of growth and demand for genetic counselors. Advances in technology, affordable access to genetic testing, public genomic health initiatives, and diversifying clinical and non-clinical roles comprise a dynamic environment that GCPs must respond to. While there is extensive literature regarding how other health professions adapt their curricula to changing environments, this has yet to be documented and explored for genetic counseling. This study aimed to understand how GCPs evolve their didactic curricula to keep up with the rapidly changing professional landscape. An online survey was used to recruit program leadership of fully accredited GCPs for semi-structured interviews. These interviews explored four critical factors of didactic curricular change, including drivers, implementation, barriers, and mechanisms for evaluation after a change has been made. Interview transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis based on iterative discussions with prioritization of excerpts from the codes that had been most commonly applied across multiple transcripts. Multiple factors were identified that program leadership must appropriately weigh when making curricular change decisions. The factors that were considered major influences by all participants included national accreditation standards, program stakeholders, sponsoring institutions and local genetic counseling communities, and the genetic counseling profession as a whole. Our data also demonstrated the extensive role program leadership plays in the adaptation of didactic curricula. With GCP leadership constantly identifying, implementing, and evaluating complex didactic curricular change, there is a need for further exploration of this topic and development of genetic counseling specific resources and tools.
自1969年首个遗传咨询项目(GCP)设立以来,遗传咨询师的数量不断增长,需求也持续增加。技术进步、基因检测的可及性提高、公共基因组健康倡议以及临床和非临床角色的多样化构成了一个动态环境,GCP必须对此做出回应。虽然有大量关于其他健康专业如何使其课程适应不断变化的环境的文献,但遗传咨询领域尚未对此进行记录和探讨。本研究旨在了解GCP如何发展其教学课程以跟上快速变化的专业形势。通过在线调查招募了完全认证的GCP项目负责人进行半结构化访谈。这些访谈探讨了教学课程变化的四个关键因素,包括驱动因素、实施、障碍以及变化实施后的评估机制。基于与在多个访谈记录中最常应用的代码的摘录优先级进行的反复讨论,使用反思性主题分析对访谈记录进行了分析。确定了项目负责人在做出课程变更决策时必须适当权衡的多个因素。所有参与者都认为主要影响因素包括国家认证标准、项目利益相关者、主办机构和当地遗传咨询社区以及整个遗传咨询行业。我们的数据还表明了项目负责人在教学课程调整中所起的广泛作用。由于GCP负责人不断识别、实施和评估复杂的教学课程变化,因此需要进一步探索这一主题,并开发遗传咨询特定的资源和工具。