- 09 May 2018
You probably come across these types of articles all the time - 15 jobs that didn’t exist 20 years ago - and often, they are less than enlightening! However, this one caught our attention more than most, with a number of interesting careers covered which we were keen to learn more about.
“the rapid development of new technology in recent decades has seen a plethora of new careers evolve”
In this post we take a closer look at one of these emerging pathways and it's relevance in an Australian and NZ context.
Genetic Counsellor
Article and Research - Aimee Visser
What do they do? Genetic Counsellors work with individuals, couples and families to provide risk assessment, genetic information and support. They help people to understand and adapt to the medical, psychological, familial and reproductive implications of the genetic contribution to specific health conditions. They can work in multiple areas including cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic and cancerous disease, as well as infertility and prenatal health. They often work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to ensure the best outcome for patients, and some are involved in academic research (although these opportunities are more prolific in the US).
Highlights in this role include being able to help people make informed health decisions, find information which could save a life or a whole family, and working as a team to make improvements for the future wellbeing of people.
Difficult parts of the role include providing information which may lead to upset and anxiety for others, and helping them to work through some really tough choices.
Why is this area growing? Genetics and understanding one’s DNA has become more and more popular in recent years, and there appears to be a future trend, (still being explored amongst the medical profession), towards personalised medicine whereby patients receive treatments best tailored to their needs based on their genetic make-up. Despite this, a quick delve into the field shows it is still an area of slower growth than perhaps expected and job turnover is fairly low, possibly because it takes seven years to complete the requirements to become fully certified and because funding for the roles (particularly in public healthcare systems) can take some time.
What qualifications and training are required? To become a Genetic Counsellor in New Zealand and Australia, individuals must become fully accredited with the Human Genetics Society of Australasia. To do so, they must:
1) Complete an undergraduate degree in a related field such as a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences or genetics, a psychology degree, or, a nursing or social work degree.
2) Become “Board Eligible” as an “Associate Genetic Counsellor” with the HGSA by undertaking a post-graduate Master’s degree in Genetic Counselling (currently only offered at two universities in Australia, with an intake of only 12-14 people), as well as working in a clinical genetic counselling role during that time.
3) Gain certification by undergoing a further two years of supervised clinical practise and complete a prescribed body of work related to clinical practice.
In New Zealand, only Massey and Otago universities offer specific undergraduate genetics degrees, however others do offer biological science degrees. In Australia, a quick search showed 14 universities with genetics-related undergraduate degrees.
The universities of Melbourne and Sydney offer the Master’s level postgraduate programmes. However in 2016, Sydney decided to have no intake, and in 2017 Melbourne did the same, potentially pointing to the lack of available job opportunities at this time.
Are there many jobs in this area yet? The job market In New Zealand shows there are currently two genetic services, based in Auckland and Wellington, with a Christchurch office. They employ a total of 17 genetic counsellors. There are also some commercial based roles available. Australia is fairly similar in that most roles are currently in public health. A quick vacancy search provided only 1 open position in NZ at the time of writing, and 1 role for an “associate” level position in Sydney.
On the whole it would seem this field is exceptionally interesting, full of opportunities to undertake some important and useful research, and a special blend for those who enjoy both science and relating to people. Certification takes seven years (or more if part time) to complete, with some good on-the-job training to keep things relevant and exciting. However job opportunities seem a little slim. Having read articles from several countries however, it is suggested this field will continue to grow (albeit rather slowly), and may continue to shift and change with the new area of personalised medicine continuing to expand as medical knowledge grows.