Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Because there is such a wide variety in the type of patient that is referred, they are all handled differently. I manage a varied caseload of patients with differing needs.

Some patients may require counselling and genetic testing which I would organise independently, some may require to also see a Geneticist (Consultant in Clinical Genetics) and I may be involved in gathering initial information and family history and explaining about our service and offering follow-up after their consultant appointment, others may be referred to discuss issues relating to a pregnancy or prenatal issues, predictive testing for adult onset conditions, cancer risk assessments, etc. Some patients may be managed by telephone only, rather than coming to clinic. Some patients have just one or two appointments, others are followed up for several years.

I work in conjunction with doctors in my department but manage the majority of my patients independently.

I am involved in the mentoring of new Genetic Counsellors and also mentoring colleagues going through their registration to become registered Genetic Counsellors.

I am also involved currently in mainstreaming of genetic services, which involves working with other specialities in helping them to bring genetic testing to their areas, such as breast and ovarian cancer services.

I am also involved in teaching of student nurses and midwives about genetics, as well as various other activities in order to develop departmental guidelines/protocols etc.

On a clinic day I may see up to eight or nine patients over the day. Typically the appointment would be for about 45 minutes, some longer if needed.

On an office day I may spend time telephoning patients or other health professionals, chasing up test results with labs around the country, checking emails, dictating or checking letters, writing up notes in files, reviewing medical records, planning clinics, booking appointments, meeting with a trainee to discuss their cases, planning a teaching presentation, performing audits, etc.

Once a week we have departmental meetings which typically take up the entire morning and may also sometimes include journal club presentations or external speakers, meetings with lab colleagues, or meetings between genetic counsellors or specific working groups working on a specific issue.

I really enjoy meeting with my patients.

I meet many interesting and wonderful people and I really enjoy being able to make a difference to their lives and their families.

Dealing with a large workload in an organisation such as the NHS in which there are often changes and cutbacks.

The frustrations caused by having to adhere to certain targets, etc which do not always seem to be in the best interests of patients.

At times a lack of guidance and leadership from managers, mainly because they are also very busy and overstretched.

I have a keen interest in Genetics but also enjoy working directly with patients affected by genetic conditions; I did not want a lab job. I am passionate about helping people to understand a complicated subject and empowering them to make important decisions for them and adjusting to new and complex information in the best possible way. I felt this role would be a good use of my mixture of skills.

MSc Genetic Counselling.
BSc Genetics.

Ongoing continuous professional development, ie. attendance at conferences and relevant courses.

2003-2004: Admin worker in Adult social services

2004-2007: Adult Social services Out of hours service
(NB. I did this job whilst also studying for my MSc part time at the University of Manchester 2005-2007)

2007- present: Genetic Counsellor in current position

I do not currently have any plans to take any further qualifications or to progress further in terms of my career in terms of responsibility, as I am happy with my current level of pay and my workload.

My current focus is now on balancing my work and family life to the best of my ability.

Genetic Counselling as a career is quite competitive, so make sure you have the relevant experience and have made contact with a genetics service local to you before applying for a place on a Masters course or training program.

Don't be put off when applying for temporary positions or maternity cover posts. If you do well and make a good impression, these can often lead to something more permanent.