Alternatives to Shadowing

While shadowing is a very valuable experience, it's not always possible to obtain shadowing opportunities. There are many great alternatives to shadowing that will provide prospective students with a deeper understanding of genetic counseling as a field, and explore current issues and advances in the field. 

Informational Interviews

If you reach out to a genetic counselor, and they are not able to let you shadow, you can still gain valuable insights and career exposures through an informational interview. These interviews give you an opportunity to better understand the role and scope of a genetic counselor, and if genetic counseling is a good fit for you. It may be a good idea to do informational interviews before seeking shadowing experiences.

How many informational interviews should you do to be competitive? 

• • There isn't a specific number of informational interviews to make your application more competitive. It's more important that you interview a variety of GC's and specialties. Usually 3-5 informational interviews is plenty for applicants. You are welcome to do more, but consider only adding informational interviews on your CV that were particularly impactful, and you can speak more about in an interview, if prompted. 

Preparing for an informational interview:

• Look up the person you are going to interview. LinkedIn is great for this, as it showcases their previous jobs, their current job/specialty, and where they went to GC school. Sometimes if you google the person, you will find a bio, which can give you more insights into who they are as a person and their passions as a GC.

• Prepare some questions to ask. If you were able to find information about them, you can usually tailor your questions. Examples of questions include:

  • • What does your day-to-day look like as a GC?

    • What drew you to the genetic counseling profession?

    • What are the hardest and most rewarding parts of your job?

    • What advice do you have for prospective GC students? 

• Dress appropriately. This is a more casual conversation, so you don't need to dress business casual, but you should look put together. 

• Be on time! You want to be respectful that this person is taking time to speak with you, and being on time is one way to show you are thankful and value their time.

Genetic Counseling Immersive Program at Color 

This is a fully remote program open to ALL prospective applicants, and specifically intended for those who are unable to obtain shadowing experiences and/or identify as an under-represented individual in the genetic counseling community. 

Additional Information:

• • The GC Immersive: Patching the pipeline with genetic counseling experiences for all

  • Genetic Counseling Immersive Program at Color FAQ 

Master Genetic Counselor Series 

• • This is a recorded collection of simulated genetic counseling sessions. There is a total of 9 sessions that covers 3 different indications. The series includes a simulated medical record for you to review before you watch the sessions. 

Genetic Counseling Experience Initiative

• • This is a student-organized group of prospective genetic counselors. They collaborate with practicing genetic counselors to provide prospective applicants GC exposure through journal club, movie club, book club, and speaker case studies. 

Case Conferences/Webinars

It's highly recommended that prospective applicants are up-to-date on current events and issues in genetic counseling. This shows genetic counseling programs that you have a thorough understanding of genetic counseling, and are interested and motivated in relevant topics associated with the field. It also helps prospective applicants have more engaging conversations with genetic counselors and genetic professionals! Many medical professionals and entities host regular webinars and case conferences. 

Medical Facilities: Lots of medical centers and labs host regular case conferences and webinars. Examples of labs that host webinars: 

• https://www.genomemedical.com/resources/events/ 

• https://www.invitae.com/us/providers/educational-webinars?currentPage=1&numPerPage=10&tab=upcoming 

• https://www.ambrygen.com/providers/resources/webinars 

Social media can be an excellent resource to be aware of upcoming case conferences you may be interested in attending. If you follow active genetic counseling social media accounts on Instagram or LinkedIn, they may post upcoming case conferences of interest in the genetic counseling community. The prospective student GC discord also posts upcoming events, case conferences, and webinars.  

Regional GC Groups: There are 7 Regional Genetic Networks in the US. 

• New England Regional Genetics Network (NERGN) hosts webinars on the 1st Wednesday of every month from 12pm-1:00 PM ET.

• New York Mid-Atlantic Caribbean Regional Genetics Network (NYMAC) webinars

• Southeast Regional Genetics Network (SERN) Education and Training Events

• Midwest Genetics Network(MGN) Learner's Corner

• Heartland Regional Genetics Network (HEARTLAND) Provider Resources Center

• Mountain States Regional Genetics Network (MSRGN) Past Webinars 

• Western States Regional Genetics Network Resources

Additional Resources

• A Caffeinated GC: Shadowing Alternatives  

• Katie Lee, CGC: How to reach out to a GC for shadowing or an informational interview