Genetic counseling: Growth of the profession and the professional

Abstract

Growth of the profession of genetic counseling has gone hand-in-hand with professional development of individual genetic counselors. Genetic counseling has achieved most of the typical early milestones in the development of a profession. The profession is maturing at a time when the number of practitioners is predicted to vastly expand. The last two decades have seen a proliferation of genetic counselor roles and practice areas, and a distinct professional identity. It is likely that the next two decades will see an increase in educational paths, practice areas, and possibilities for professional advancement. How this maturation proceeds will be impacted by overall trends in healthcare, decisions made by international genetic counseling organizations, and thousands of individual decisions about career trajectories.

Keywords: career development; genetic counseling; history of genetic counseling; professional development; professionalization.