r/GeneticCounseling

hi, i'm an undergrad (just finished my junior year) with a genetics major and psych minor. i have been pre-genetic counseling but lately have had the itch for med school. i always used to think i would go to medical school and then discovered GC a couple years ago and was sure that's what i wanted to do. however, i recently had some personal experiences with a family member going through lots of medical treatment and i think thats what started the thought process. i'm looking for advice and wondering if anyone has experienced something similar...

i love the idea of med school because i love learning so i think i would actually do okay in med school and i absolutely nerd out on super complex cases like immunology, internal med, infectious diseases, etc. i love the problem-solving component of medicine like piecing together a puzzle and i know that certain parts of GC can have that but that physicians might get a better scope of super complex cases while also having the interpersonal relationships with patients like GCs.

i love GC because of the direct patient contact and relationship building. i love the idea of being able to support a patient/family through a medical situation and advocate for them in a situation that could otherwise be very traumatic, because i have had experiences in medicine that were absolutely transformed by a practitioner who actually showed they cared. at the same time, though, i think the context i want to do that in is more "emergent" cases (not like ER, but just more time-sensitive) than a lot of GC cases. at the same time, though, i have only gotten a chance to shadow an oncology GC who sees a lot of routine family history of cancer patients (super important and valuable, don't get me wrong! just not up my alley), so maybe what i'm looking for exists in GC.

i also have been so all-in on GC that i'm worried about pivoting to pre-med. for example, my peers and i literally built a pre-genetic counseling club from the ground up on our college campus, i've shadowed and done observational interviews with GCs, etc. and i dont know if it's too late to pivot considering i would be applying to GC grad programs in 4 months. i know i would almost 100% have to do a gap year if i choose med school so i can get clinical hours, etc. but still it seems like such a quick shift, but maybe that isn't important?

if anyone has feedback or advice, please help me out! some questions i have:

- i don't feel like either career path is "wrong" for me, but i think one will be more satisfying in the long run. how do i push myself in one direction or the other?

- does being so committed to GC look bad on a resume for med school? like if they see that i started a club, etc. will it deter them because i look indecisive or uncommitted?

- besides obvious differences in training, pay, etc. between GCs and physicians, what are some things i might not be thinking about with either profession that should be taken into consideration?

any/all help is welcome, even if you can't relate but have an experience to share in either field i would be grateful ◡̈

Yes, this is a really stupid question. But I was wondering how much of being a genetic counsellor involves actually ‘counselling’?

Like, when I think of counselling, I think of ‘sitting down and taking about your feelings’, but that doesn’t really match up with what I’ve seen online for what a GC does.

I am grateful that the PSS is back, it is incredibly helpful data. I have to admit though, I was hoping there would be a few questions about job satisfaction, efforts job searching, burnout, or if others do/don't feel like valued by their employer in a time where so many hospital systems are being merged into giant corporations. My autistic brain also thought many of the questions were not specific enough for me to answer accurately. For example, they asked about time spent counseling patients in-person, telehealth, and phone.. I didn't know if they were asking about scheduled consults or if results disclosures would count towards phone counseling, since that can easily be a 20-40 minute conversation. This isn't meant to throw shade at the PSS makers btw, I'm just trying to get a pulse on the people.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been admitted to a graduate program in Genetic Counseling in the US, and I’m trying to understand what the real experience looks like for international students after graduation.

I’m an international student, and I’m a bit worried about how realistic it is to find a job after finishing the program and then be able to stay in the US through OPT, STEM OPT, and eventually H-1B sponsorship.

I’ve read the official information, but I’m looking for real experiences from people who have actually gone through this process, especially in healthcare or similar fields. I’d really appreciate hearing how it actually worked in practice, how long it took to find a job, and whether staying in the US after graduation was realistically achievable.

Any insight from your experience would mean a lot. Thanks!!

Hello! I have my bs in public health and was on track for med school and actually got accepted but ultimately declined due to the overwhelming amount of time being a dr is. I have a 1 yr old and I’m due for another in July! I am wondering the work life balance from being a GC. Does anyone work at home or part time? I’m not looking to make a ton of money just enough to justify having a babysitter and paying off my student loans! I really just want a career that is fulfilling being a mom! Thank you! 🩷

Reddit is removing the link, but you can read about this by googling “Catalyst by Southern Research”

I was just introduced to this genetic testing program by a local news source. It looks like it has some similarities with the All of Us program, but with a focus on Alabama. It is state-funded and completely free for patients, including an optional free generic counseling session. I’m curious about what genetic counseling professionals and researchers think about something like this? Risks and/or benefits, from a patient and practitioner viewpoint?

I've seen some people mention job market concerns and a lack of satisfaction; when contrasting with the BLS's 9% growth & high reported rates of satisfaction I figured it's better to ask the real GC then rely on online statistics.

Is the market good right now? Getting easier or harder?

Is the pay enough for your area?

Are you happy with your current GC position and tasks?

I'm a incoming college freshman, any advice or other comment?

Thank you for reading 😁

Hi all! Recent ish grad here, been in clinic for a ~3 years. I'm currently feeling pretty disheartened and am not sure where to go next with my career.

After graduating I really wanted a job in my hometown which is a major city, but it's very competitive so i eneded up accepting a position out of state. I thought my first job out of school was going to be my dream job and it ended up being a poor fit - the job didn't match the description and I felt like I wasn't getting the autonomy I needed to grow. I still wasn't able to get a role in my city of choice, but accepted another clinic based role that's geographically closer to my family and friends, because my first job was really bad for my mental health and it was difficult being so far from loved ones. While this role is a little bit better, I'm still pretty unhappy with my experience in this field so far and feel like my skills/expertise as a whole are not valued. ​I don't know if this is typical across the industry or if I've had bad luck? I love seeing patients and patient care, and I still think genetics is really interesting, but I'm considering quitting this role to move back home to my major city and just see what happens, even if that means I leave the field permanently.

Idk what to do next if a GC job in my hometown doesn't pop up. I'd love to stay in patient care, so maybe nursing? But I really can't afford more loans. I know I'm lucky to have had two offers in such a bad market, but I'm feeling jaded after working so hard to match and finish graduate school. The idea of taking a pay cut also really stings when I'm in so much debt from my graduate program.

The avg salary for gcs in fl is around 75k and im just wondering if it can go up to 90k based on experience.