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Genetics Career help?

If I’m deeply interested in women’s health, babies, fertility, and genetics, what career would allow me to help families understand their genetic makeup and make informed decisions for their future? How can I prepare myself for this career?

medicine healthcare spring26 pediatrics genetics obgyn womens-health
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Suzanne’s Answer

Alanah, have you considered a career as a genetics counselor? These are people who are trained to work with people or families who have risks of genetic disorders or birth defects. They help people understand the implications of various genetic disorders or genetic test results. They also help people cope when they are diagnosed with a genetic disease.

If you think you would enjoy working directly with patients and have an interest in genetics, this might be a good career to investigate further. It requires a masters degree (MS) from an accredited program in genetics counseling. There is such a program, for example, at Wayne State University in Detroit (link is below).

Speak with the pre-health professions counselor at your college and discuss genetic counseling as an option. They can be sure you will know how to be a competitive applicant for the master's programs you apply to.

Good luck and best wishes!

Suzanne recommends the following next steps:

Here's some information from Mayo Clinic about what genetics counselors do: https://college.mayo.edu/academics/explore-health-care-careers/careers-a-z/genetic-counselor/
Take classes in chemistry and biology, especially genetics, in college as well as social sciences.
https://genetics.wayne.edu/education/ms-genetic-counseling
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