r/GeneticCounseling

Normally I get together with old classmates or current coworkers in the evenings but I don't think anyone from my circle is attending this year, so I'll be mostly solo. Anything I should do/checkout while I'm in the area? Never been to Baltimore before. Thanks!

It asks first — you say the answer out loud, then reveal and grade yourself honestly.

Hey all! Hope studying is going okay for everyone testing this month! For anyone who still has it ahead of them, feel free to use this ABGC study tool I made for my girlfriend, who is taking the exam for the first time this month:

https://sophie.radshah.com/

It drills free recall and multiple choice: the first type of question is the gene/enzyme/inheritance, the second is board-style vignettes. 266 questions across 23 categories right now.

I made it as an excuse to spend time with her, since she is basically using all her free time studying. She said it was useful for free recall, and distinguishing between the different genetic conditions. I told her to give me honest feedback on whether it's actually useful, and she said it was hehe. I figured I'd share it here if that's the case. It's free and no signups.

What's one condition that never sticks, no matter how many times you review it?

Hi all!

I'm a relatively recent grad from a program based in SoCal. The market here doesn't look too hot, especially with the trickier licensure rules and a general hesitance to hire new grads in the current environment.

I have a nice network here, but l'm relatively sure I won't be able to land a clinical or lab GC position without relocating. I am unable to relocate due to family care obligations.

I love patient counseling and genetics as a field of study, but l'm also a pragmatist. I'm not going to sit on my hands for 6-12 more months to hope for a position to come through- I need (preferably relevant) experience and money while waiting for the market to improve. I have previous experience working in clinical research coordination and database construction, along with pre-existing disability advocacy/leadership experience.

I'm mainly curious to know:
- What positions have people taken in the interim prior to their first clinical GC role?
- Has anyone taken a role outside of the GC space and stuck with that for their career? (I've been looking into med/genetics sales, patient coordination, med admin support, things closer to social work that don't immediately need MSW)
- How did you market your genetic counseling background for a non-GC role effectively?
- What is in high demand in the SoCal market right now, sparing nursing/PA? I'd rather not go back to school again, but wouldn't mind picking up extra certs/skills for a position!

I’m 30 and exploring a career change from tech marketing into a more people-facing healthcare role. I’ve built a good career and make a comfortable living, but lately I’ve been struggling with how soulless tech feels to me. So much of my work ultimately comes down to moving numbers on a dashboard or helping sell more software, and with the direction of AI in particular, I’m finding it harder to feel connected to any real human purpose behind what I do.

I don’t need my job to save the world, but I do want my work to feel a little more meaningful and tangible—to use my skills in a way that actually matters to an individual person.

Genetic counseling has caught my attention partly because my late younger sister was born with trisomy 18. Genetics and the experience of families navigating a diagnosis are therefore personally meaningful to me, and I’m interested in the combination of science, communication, and working directly with people. I am also a native Spanish speaker and would love to leverage that in my work.

I have a bachelor’s in communications and no formal science/healthcare background, so right now I’m just exploring whether this could realistically be a path for me.

Has anyone here transitioned into genetic counseling from a completely unrelated career, particularly in their 30s? Where would you recommend starting to figure out whether it’s genuinely a good fit?

Hi everyone! I’m considering applying to genetic counseling programs in 2027 for Fall 2028, and I’d love to hear from current GCs, students, or applicants about your experiences.

I have a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and an M.S. in Bioinformatics, and I’ve worked for several years in molecular/genomics labs. I currently work as a forensic biologist and previously worked with NGS, WES, and cancer genomics.

I’ve also had some patient-facing experience, including working as a nursing home care aide and working one-on-one with a student with a rare neurological disorder, where I was involved in her daily care, advocacy, documentation, and coordination with her nurse and teachers. Genetic counseling has been a career I’ve been interested in for a long time, and I’m intentionally giving myself a full year before applying. I want to use that time to get more patient facing experience, shadow GCs, learn more about the profession, and make sure this is genuinely the right fit for me rather than rushing into another graduate program.

I’d especially love honest feedback on:

- For current GCs: Do you genuinely enjoy the career? Knowing what you know now, would you choose it again?

- What are the best and worst parts of the job that you didn’t fully understand before becoming a GC?

- For anyone familiar with admissions, how does my background look for GC programs?

- Given my strong science/genomics background, what would you prioritize over the next year to strengthen the areas I’m missing?

- If you were in my position with a full year to prepare, what would you spend that year doing?

- And most importantly, do you think GC is worth the time and investment of going through the program?

I know this is a big commitment, so I’m trying to be thoughtful about it. I’d really appreciate honest advice, including the less glamorous parts of the profession. Thank you!

Hi! I wanted to see if any of the recent test takers this cycle that were successful would be willing to share how they study to and prepared for the exam? There seems to be so much content and I’m trying to figure out how to prioritize my studying these next couple weeks.

I know there are plenty of past threads about boards, but I wanted to start a new one for this year’s testing cycle since I haven’t seen much discussion about it yet!

This will unfortunately be my third time taking the exam, so I’m definitely feeling a mix of anxiety, nerves, and discouragement as it’s getting closer. In the past, I’ve found it really helpful (and honestly just a little cathartic) to hear about other people’s experiences and know I’m not the only one feeling this way.

For anyone who has already taken it this cycle, how are you feeling afterward? And for those who haven’t taken it yet, how are you feeling going into it? Would love to hear how everyone is doing, whether that’s about studying, test anxiety, the exam itself, or just general feelings about the whole process! My DMs are also open if anyone wants to chat.

This may be a stupid question but it's worth a shot. What career paths do siimilar work to genetic counseling without the counseling portion. I love genetics and am Interested in the assessing family history, analyzing tests, maybe even communicating with doctors. But I am not interested in patient facing roles. I know there is an expanding area of laboratory genetic counselors. But there is still a large part of training that focuses in paitent care.

I want to get a masters but not a PhD. What options are there for me?

I already see the title being taken way too seriously so to clarify. I am autistic and would have a hard time explaining life altering news to families or paitents. I am only Interested in the science and non paitent side of GC. Which is why I am asking for SIMILAR roles to genetic counseling. I don't believe I'd be successful in GC school and am not planning on going

i’m a second year genetic counseling student and i’m a few weeks into my first fieldwork rotation, which is prenatal. I’m really struggling with separating myself from my patient’s situations and not holding onto their grief and emotions through my day and further after that. Any tips from more seasoned GC’s? Or even just validation lol i feel like i need to just yell into the void