Genetic counselors and research: current practices and future directions

Members of the genetic counseling community have debated the need for doctoral degree programs to further advance the profession. However, genetic counselors' interest in conducting independent research and attitudes toward obtaining a doctoral degree in genetic counseling has not been assessed in more than a decade. We designed a comprehensive web-based survey to characterize the current research values and practices of genetic counselors. Respondents were asked to self-report their current research involvement, their specific role in research activities, and their interest in performing research in the future. The study showed that a significant number of genetic counselors (84.5%) have conducted previous research, and 69.4% of respondents plan to perform research in the future. These results reflect the maturation of the genetic counseling field, in that a substantial number of genetic counselors consider active involvement in research to be a core role. The study also showed that 34.1% of respondents have high interest in a hypothetical PhD in Genetic Counseling, suggesting that the profession is primed for the development of doctoral degree training options.