The tasks and programmatic milestones of the UConn Genetic Counseling Program are intentionally designed and scheduled to foster student independence and growth.
There is critical value to providing students with early exposure to clinical processes, procedures, and scenarios. Three observation sessions are scheduled for UConn students’ first semester to provide students with what may be for some, their first shadowing experience. Students are simultaneously enrolled in the Professional Development Course ISG 5730-02; Clinical Practice for Genetic Counselors during which time, the students will be able to reflect upon their learning experiences and ask questions of practicing genetic counselors that they may at first be hesitant to ask while in clinic. At the conclusion of this semester, students will meet with program leadership to discuss their level of preparedness for the upcoming spring semester and first 10-week rotation.
Observational sessions help foster a sense of belonging and confidence prior to students’ upcoming first immersion into a full 10-week clinical rotation.
Please note “fieldwork”, “internship”, and “clinical rotation” are terms are used interchangeably throughout the website to refer to the on-site supervised genetic counseling training.
Fieldwork Rotations
Starting in January of year 1 of the program, students will complete six (6) 10-week fieldwork internship rotations in prenatal, pediatric/general, cancer, cardiovascular, and laboratory/research genetic specialties toward meeting the accreditation standard of 50 core cases, providing training across a broad spectrum of genetic counseling situations representing the multiple stages of the life cycle.
Clinical affiliates of the UConn Genetic Counseling Program serve socioeconomically and culturally diverse patient populations. Affiliate settings include medical centers, a nonprofit children’s hospital, private maternal-fetal medicine, oncology, and community practice settings. Students are expected to counsel patients and families from diverse geographic regions and socioeconomic backgrounds. Students will work with genetic counselors using varied approaches and attending skills. Affiliate placements and enrichment clinics will provide students with situational learning opportunities to identify the history, management, and psychosocial challenges of a broad range of genetic conditions.
Enrichment Rotations
Each student will also complete a 10-week enrichment rotation in their second year. Often multi/interdisciplinary in nature, the rotation is designed to provide students with supplemental experiences not typically found within the core rotations and are scheduled based on student interests and preferences.
Available opportunities include placements with and focused on:
- Patient advocacy organizations
- Digital medicine and science communications
- Patient support groups
- Community Education
- Research/laboratory settings
- Test utilization review
- Industry placements
- Variant interpretation
- All of Us Program
Additionally, students can spend time in this rotation in specific specialty clinical settings (e.g. neurogenetics, cystic fibrosis clinics, Huntington disease clinic, metabolics, etc.), or spend more time in a clinical specialty area of particular interest.