Working together: development of a genetic counselling curriculum in a medical genetics residency training program.

Abstract

Medical geneticists are physicians who assess, diagnose, and manage individuals with rare genetic diseases. They work with genetic counsellors who are health professionals with specialized training in genetics and counselling. Both provide genetic counselling in their practice. In many centres, genetic counsellors provide patient care collaboratively with geneticists. Given the close working relationship and potential for perception of a hierarchy, interpersonal conflicts can arise, which may be accentuated when the respective scopes of practice are not appreciated. We developed a longitudinal interprofessional curriculum for genetics residents to improve counselling skills, increase understanding of the skills of genetic counsellors, and foster positive relationships. We aim to assist our trainees in navigating the close working relationship and overlapping scopes of practice. Anticipated barriers included increased evaluation workload for genetic counsellors and curriculum transitions, addressed via development of a collaborative evaluation tool. We created a genetic counsellor mentor role, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary mentorship, and introduced a Junior Attending rotation to provide experience with supervision. Participant feedback has been positive, citing improved communication and increased confidence in counselling. Genetic counsellors have been supportive in their teaching and curriculum contributions. The curriculum has been reviewed nationally with positive and constructive receipt. We continue to assess impacts of the curriculum on transition to practice and are reviewing if the mentor-mentee relationships continue past graduation. Our program has benefited from using allied health professionals in educational, evaluator, and mentorship roles, and hope dissemination of this curriculum can serve as a roadmap for other programs.