Career shadowing is an important component of exploring the field of genetic counseling. By shadowing genetic counselors, prospective applicants can gain firsthand insight into the day-to-day responsibilities, challenges, and rewards of the profession. This experience allows aspiring genetic counselors to observe client interactions, understand the ethical considerations involved in genetic counseling sessions, and witness the impact of genetic information on individuals and families. Through career shadowing, individuals can also clarify their career goals, develop a deeper understanding of the field, and make informed decisions about pursuing a career in genetic counseling.
There are a few reasons shadowing experiences are difficult to obtain. The biggest barrier for these experiences are institutional regulations. There are genetic counselors who would love to have students shadow, but because of institutional policies and privacy concerns, they are not able to have students observe. Another issue is that some genetic counselors do not have the time or resources to have a student shadow. For applicants who live in less populated, rural areas, there may be very few or no local genetic counselors, which greatly decreases availability of shadowing opportunities. In addition, as new GC programs are opening and class sizes are expanding, this limits the availability of shadowing experiences for prospective students not enrolled in a genetic counseling program.
This depends on what programs you are applying to. Some genetic counseling programs have more rigid admissions requirements than others, and admission requirements can be updated over time. For example, almost, if not every, GC program used to require GRE scores, and now most will not even accept GRE scores. This information will typically be available on the program's website. If there is any confusion if a program requires shadowing experiences, reach out to the program directly for clarification. Shadowing is the best way to learn about the field, but not the only way. The most important thing about shadowing is being able to convey in your personal statement and interview what you took away from shadowing. Having shadowing experiences does not guarantee admission to a GC program.
You can look up genetic counselors in the NSGC directory. You can include specific search parameters such as specialty, location, and if they welcome student contact. You can also see a directory of telehealth genetic counselors here.
LinkedIn is a great place to connect with the GC community. A couple tips for using LinkedIn:
Have your LinkedIn updated, with a professional profile photo.
Note in your LinkedIn tagline that you are an aspiring genetic counselor
You can connect with people in the genetic counseling community who you have never met. This is common practice on LinkedIn, which is why it's important that your LinkedIn profile resembles an actual person and not a bot.
Connecting with your local genetic counseling coalition
Not every state has this, but you can usually find if there is a local genetic counseling coalition by googling genetic counseling and your state.
This can be one of the best ways to find local shadowing opportunities, and networking with local genetic counselors.
As an applicant, it can be nerve-wracking to email a genetic counselor. Prospective students want to make a good impression, and want to be courteous of the GC's time. Many GC's get numerous emails from prospective applicants, so it's important the email is informative and engaging, while also being short and concise. The email should contain the following elements:
Greeting which includes the GC's name
Your name
A little bit about yourself and the purpose of your email
2 or 3 sentences about your interest in genetic counseling, and why you're interested in connecting with them
This is very important! Genetic counselors receive many emails from prospective students, and genetic counselors love reading about a student's passion and drive to be a genetic counselor
Reinstating your overall goal of emailing them
A closing statement thanking them for their time
Generally, if you do not hear back within a week, it is reasonable to send a follow-up email.
There are a few reasons you may not have gotten a response. It's possible the genetic counselor was busy, and the email got lost in the shuffle. It's also possible the email listed on a directory is not updated, so they never received the initial email. It's important to remember the genetic counselors are people, and may need a follow-up email to remind them to respond.
If you emailed and did not receive a response back within 1 week, it is appropriate to send a follow-up email. This email should be a reply to your initial inquiry email, so they do not need to go digging for the initial email in their inbox. This email is a simple follow-up that should include the following:
A greeting with the GC's name
A warm introduction
A statement that you are following up on a prior email sent, and that you are still interested in meeting with them if they are available
A closing statement thanking them for their time
Example:
Hi Gwen,
I hope you are having a good week. I am following-up on an email I sent last week. I am still interested in talking with you to learn more about genetic counseling, and, if possible, discuss the potential to shadow you.
Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.
Best,
Alex
If you don't get a response to your follow-up email after 1 week, it may be a better use of your time and resources to find other shadowing opportunities. It's not personal. It's possible they are just very busy.
Be aware of when you send emails. Typically, you don't want to email on the weekends or in the evening, because the GC likely doesn't work nights or weekends, causing your email to get lost in the other emails received before they return to work.
Generally the best time to email is in the morning. This is not a universal rule, but generally people wake up in the morning, have their coffee, and check their email.
Consider your time zone. If you live in New York, and you send an email at 8am to a GC who lives in California, it is 5am there. If you want your email to be at the top of their inbox, and increase the chance it will be seen, you want to be aware of the GC's time zone.
For follow-up emails, do not send the email on the same day of the week as the initial email. That may be a particularly heavy workday for the GC. General rule of thumb is to send a follow-up email 8-10 days after the initial email. As noted above, look at the time you sent the initial email, and consider changing the time of day you send the follow-up email.
You will likely need to sign paperwork beforehand. Make sure you read through the paperwork in its entirety, and sign it in a timely fashion.
Dress professionally. Make sure to wear something comfortable, but also professional. General rule of thumb is to not wear the following: jeans, sneakers or open toed shoes, hoodies, or athleisure attire. You also want to refrain from clothing with words on them, political affiliations, and logos/symbols. Clothing should be professional, and be more conservative (no middrift, low-cut shirts, or tank tops). Every clinic is different, so if you have any questions about the dress code, please reach out to the genetic counselor directly. Usually a dress code will be included with the paperwork mentioned above.
Be on time! Leave a bit early to allow yourself some buffer room should you get lost, or an unexpected delay occurs.
Be prepared. If possible, you may want to ask what the indications for the sessions are so you can familiarize yourself ahead of time. This is in no way a requirement or an expectation, but it shows initiative and can help you get more out of your shadowing experience.
Check if taking notes during the session is okay. Have a notebook and writing utensil available. Write down things that stuck out to you in the session. Did you have any particular emotions or reactions during the session? If so, what were they, and what do you think prompted those feelings? There is a worksheet on the genetic counseling discord that can be helpful in recording details of the session, so you can recall them later for reflection, and to add to your personal statement(s) and interview(s).
The most important part of shadowing, is being able to reflect and speak about that experience in a meaningful way to genetic counseling programs. What did you learn about genetic counseling from that experience? What did you learn about yourself? Key reflections about the case(s) you shadowed?
Make sure you are in a private, quiet space. You want to be respectful that these are real patients, and while this is a shadowing opportunity for you, this is a real event for them.
Check with the GC what the expectations are for you during the visit. Should your camera be on or off? How will you meet outside of sessions (do they have a zoom or teams link for you)?