Leadership development in genetic counseling graduate programs

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Genetic Counseling Training
• Leadership Development

Background:

• Leadership is increasingly recognized as crucial in health professional training.
• Genetic counseling programs are incorporating leadership development, but its nature and extent are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize leadership development curricula in accredited genetic counseling programs.
• To explore program leaders' perspectives on leadership's meaning and role in training.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews with 11 genetic counseling program leaders.
• The Framework Method was used to analyze interview data across predefined categories.

Main Results:

• All programs included some leadership development, though definitions were often lacking.
• Curricula varied but were typically longitudinal, faculty-driven, and focused on communication, teaching, advocacy, and collaboration.
• Leadership development opportunities were seldom explicitly labeled, identified as a key area for improvement.

Conclusions:

• Explicitly labeling leadership development initiatives is crucial for better assessment and curriculum enhancement.
• Intentional leadership development can strengthen advocacy for patients and the genetic counseling profession.