France: genetics education for non-genetics health care providers.

Objective: This paper explores the treatment of medical genetics in undergraduate medical education, specialists' training and continuing medical education (CME) for general practitioners, specialists, nurses and midwives.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative survey of websites, published or unpublished documents, telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires.

Results: Genetics is a medical specialty in France, and the small number of university professors in genetics are in charge of the genetic component of medical training of all future practitioners. The study was complicated by the ongoing waves of reforms in the French health and educational systems and by the autonomy of the faculties. Specialist training and CME in genetics is heterogeneous and not organised as a priority.

Conclusions: Specialist education and CME in genetics of non-geneticist health care providers needs to be adapted to the fast ongoing developments of this field of knowledge.