Personal Genomics is Booming, But There's a Nationwide Shortage of Genetic Counselors Who Can Make Sense of that DNA Data (wired.com)

An anonymous reader shares a Wired report: When Dan Riconda graduated with a master's degree in genetic counseling from Sarah Lawrence College in 1988, the Human Genome Project was in its very first year, DNA evidence was just beginning to enter the courts, and genetic health tests weren't yet on the market. He found one of the few jobs doing fetal diagnostics for rare diseases, which often meant helping young families through the worst time in their lives.

What a difference 30 years makes. Today, with precision medicine going mainstream and an explosion of apps piping genetic insights to your phone from just a few teaspoons of spit, millions of Americans are having their DNA decoded every year. That deluge of data means that genetic counselors -- the specialized medical professionals trained to help patients interpret genetic test results -- are in higher demand than ever. With two to three job openings for every new genetic counseling graduate, the profession is facing a national workforce shortage.

[...] Pharmaceutical and lab testing firms are routinely hiring genetic counselors to make sure new screening technologies for these targeted drugs are developed in an ethical way. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the National Society for Genetic Counselors, a quarter of the workforce now works in one of these non-patient-facing jobs. A smaller study, published in August, found that one-third of genetic counselors had changed jobs in the past two years, nearly all of them from a hospital setting to a laboratory one.

Comments

I don't think I want this

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I need to keep all my relatives on a short leash just because I value my privacy.

Re:Counselors?

[Gilgaron]

I think the idea is that an analyst usually presents technical data to experts of a different domain, whereas a counselor could present technical data to the laity. Probably also rooted in the early days of the field when instead of "here's what kind of cancer you ought to be on the lookout for" it was "this is the horrible and slow way your loved one is going to die, and here's how you can mitigate that while going bankrupt"

Re:Counselors?

[Antique Geekmeister]

Family planning to decide whether to have children or adopt could be a very good reason for genetic counseling, especially if the potential parents have medical issues. Preventive health care for people at high risk of various genetically caused diseases could also be a legitimate reason for genetic counseling.

How about a Reality Counselor?

[turp182]

Here's how it works.

You will end up looking a lot like your mother or father, depending on your birth gender.

You will have the problems your parents have (propensity for dementia, alcoholism, diabetes, cancer, etc.).

If your grandparents live past 80 take care of yourself and you can too (eat well or exercise, one or the other works, generally). Pay attention to dementia, get your paperwork in order depending on how you want to handle that, just in case.

If you want, ask potential child-birthing partners about their family history. I wouldn't suggest this, let love lead the way and have a good time.

Re:How about a Reality Counselor?

[Oswald McWeany]

Here's how it works.

You will end up looking a lot like your mother or father, depending on your birth gender.

You will have the problems your parents have (propensity for dementia, alcoholism, diabetes, cancer, etc.).

If your grandparents live past 80 take care of yourself and you can too (eat well or exercise, one or the other works, generally). Pay attention to dementia, get your paperwork in order depending on how you want to handle that, just in case.

If you want, ask potential child-birthing partners about their family history. I wouldn't suggest this, let love lead the way and have a good time.

I know a few people who were adopted that don't know who their biological parents are (and by extension grand parents). It's not that uncommon in current society for the dad not to be known to a lot of people in poor groups of society.

Even in my own case, I don't know who one of my biological grandfathers is. (I was able to determine he wasn't biologically related to us through basic understand of dominant and recessive genes... but also because he was away fighting in WWII the whole year when my father was conceived and born).

So lots of people have missing ancestry information- and even for those that don't, recessive genes can go hiding for many generations.

Shortfall?

[monkeyxpress]

It always intrigues me how the job market is considered to have 'shortfalls'. There is no shortfall of genetics councillors. There is a shortage of genetics councilors at the current market price for them.

It's also funny how this sort of thing only applies to the little guys. I'm yet to hear a politician or business leader suggest that rising CEO/banker wages are a sign of a lack of competition for executive jobs, and that policies should be taken to increase supply in those professions.

Re:Shortfall?

[Nidi62]

In general I agree with you, but find myself wondering if there is in fact some career for which there is a genuine shortage.

Commercial pilots. Federally mandated retirement at 65 and an increase in requirements for ATP-CTP certification (and a reduction in military pilot numbers-partially due to increased automation and reliance on unmanned systems) means there is a directly measurable and predictable shortage in the coming years.

Re:Computers?

[EvilSS]

Not really. A big part of their job is to explain to patients what the results mean, what they don't mean, and answer questions they have. This is the problem 23andMe had with their health reports. The reports showed the technical interpretation but a lot of people didn't understand what it meant, even though it was laid out fairly comprehensively. Their forums were littered with "according to the test I have __________" when what the reports really said was that they had a SNIP that research showed might be related to ________________ and that research supported a x% genetic component to the condition, with y% being lifestyle or just random bad luck. People need people to help explain the actual impact of the results to them. Right now computers aren't up to that task. Not every condition that comes out of these tests is a binary you-have-it-or-you-don't genetic disorder.

Re:Counselors?

[puck01]

Genetic counselors function as analysts.

It should be highly emphasized many of these tests are of questionable utility in the real world. How to interpret the results is often not at all intuitive. Its a wild west type of situation and I generally wouldn't recommend having any of these done without proper guidance.

Your MOST PERSONAL data

[Rick Schumann]

2018: Voluntarily giving up literally the most personal data about yourself you can possibly give anyone.
Zero guarantees it doesn't end up in a Government or Law Enforcement database, or at the very least bought up by the likes of insurance companies, so they can find some excuse to jack up your rates or flat-out deny you coverage.

Also, reminder:

GATTACA

Don't fall for it, folks.

Re:Your MOST PERSONAL data

[Kjella]

2018: Voluntarily giving up literally the most personal data about yourself you can possibly give anyone.

If you had to choose what would be spread online, a sex tape or your DNA profile I think 90%+ would pick the DNA profile. For most it's just a list of genetic predispositions and half will have less than average. And it's something you're born with, like do you make fun of the people with visible handicaps? I understand the insurance angle, though in a civilized country with universal healthcare that's not really a big problem and very little of that is strong enough percentages to plan for as an individual. Like if you got a 3% probability of cancer and the other guy 1%, aren't you still planning for the 97% probability that you don't? I'm not necessarily saying it's a good idea, but I don't think people's deepest secrets and biggest skeletons in the closet are lurking in their DNA.