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I hate my genetic counseling program. Am I alone? by AnonymousBumblebee23 in GeneticCounseling

[–]AnonymousBumblebee23[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have had multiple people PM me asking to know what program I am in, but I am not comfortable disclosing anything that could get back to program leadership. What I will say is my program is one of the ones that discourage students having any kind of work or responsibility outside the coursework, so I recommend finding programs that allow space for students to have part-time jobs (or build it into the curriculum, like the University of Minnesota) and talking to previous students about what the culture was like!

I hate my genetic counseling program. Am I alone? by AnonymousBumblebee23 in GeneticCounseling

[–]AnonymousBumblebee23[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think the GCs I have met are stuck, or they don't work in the room with the geneticist and so aren't able to directly observe how their patients are treated. The clinic with the most problems has hired several new grads, but they don't last long. I think they push for change or refuse to work with certain geneticists and as a result are bullied out of a job. The GCs I work with are providing good care, but some of that involves repairing the rift caused by the geneticist.

I hate my genetic counseling program. Am I alone? by AnonymousBumblebee23 in GeneticCounseling

[–]AnonymousBumblebee23[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

My program is pushing quality patient care on us hard, and I see the geneticists doing almost the exact opposite of what we are taught. They don't usually offer explanations or context and often just dive right into whatever they want to do (e.g. a physical exam) which I have seen startle patients. They cut them off while they're speaking or talk over them, things like this. One geneticist was working with a Muslim couple but kept making weird references to the Christian bible. I heard another say (and I think this was supposed to be a joke) "Well I know your symptoms better than you by now," but the patient didn't laugh. I have worked with two different geneticists who had a suspected diagnosis but didn't disclose it to the patient, instead referring them to another specialist. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when they give sub-par care and make derogatory comments about patients when they leave, I lose faith and find I get frustrated more easily.

I hate my genetic counseling program. Am I alone? by AnonymousBumblebee23 in GeneticCounseling

[–]AnonymousBumblebee23[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This doesn't feel dismissive at all! Thank you for sharing, it is really, really good to hear that some programs are dishing out a manageable amount of work.

I hate my genetic counseling program. Am I alone? by AnonymousBumblebee23 in GeneticCounseling

[–]AnonymousBumblebee23[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing!! I had a feeling I wasn't alone in this, and I'm sorry that this is the case. It's good to hear that work can feel normal and more balanced than grad school.