Role play for genetic counseling learning: Value and students perceptions.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Paediatrics
• Genetics

Background:

• Genetic counseling is a core competency for paediatricians.
• Paediatric residency training often lacks sufficient genetic counseling preparation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of role-play (RP) for training paediatric residents in genetic counseling.
• To assess resident perceptions and satisfaction with RP-based training.

Main Methods:

• A repetitive cross-sectional evaluation study design was employed.
• Paediatric residents participated in simulated genetic counseling sessions using role-play.
• Standardized patient exercises assessed residents before and after RP sessions, with statistical comparison using the Wilcoxon rank test.

Main Results:

• Post-training test scores significantly improved compared to pre-training scores, particularly in the cognitive domain (p = 0.002).
• All participants reported high satisfaction, perceived a positive impact on their practice, and felt capable of autonomous genetic counseling.
• Despite confidence, most participants desired further RP sessions on genetic counseling.

Conclusions:

• Role-play (RP) is a highly effective and well-received training modality for paediatric residents in genetic counseling.
• Integrating RP into paediatric residency curricula is recommended to enhance genetic counseling skills.