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Olivia
Student
Dalton, Massachusetts
4
Questions
Asked
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similar jobs to a geneticist
I am a student that thrives in my STEM classes and loves genetics specifically. What are some careers that may be for me other than being a geneticist? In addition, I like the idea of working in a hospital, specifically one near Boston, MA. I hesitate when thinking about becoming a geneticist because I fear that I will not have as much children/people interactions that I would love to have be apart of my career.
#STEM
#hopital
#Boston
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1 answer
Suzanne Sorkin
Retired family physician and medical educator
108
Answers
Traverse City, Michigan
Updated
Suzanne’s Answer
Hi Olivia and congrats on finding an area which you really find fascinating! That is such a wonderful thing when that happens. One career you may want to look into is that of genetic counselor. As I understand it, this is a field which would require scientific understanding of human genetics combined with the "People Skills" involved in working directly with patients and families who have potential genetic conditions they need to understand. I think it would be a really good profession for someone like yourself with a mixture of interest in the science of genetics and the desire to be directly working with people.
When I was practicing as a family physician I referred patients or families to a genetic counselor when there was a concern about hereditary conditions. One example is the BRCA gene which can lead to multiple cancers. The patients would meet with the genetic counselor (in my setting the counselor was based in the pediatrics department of the nearby medical school) and get a detailed family history from the patient. Then together the counselor and patient would determine what the next steps were in terms of possible testing and even preventive steps to take such as removal of organs likely to develop cancer.
https://www.cdc.gov/genomics/gtesting/genetic_counseling.htm
When I was practicing as a family physician I referred patients or families to a genetic counselor when there was a concern about hereditary conditions. One example is the BRCA gene which can lead to multiple cancers. The patients would meet with the genetic counselor (in my setting the counselor was based in the pediatrics department of the nearby medical school) and get a detailed family history from the patient. Then together the counselor and patient would determine what the next steps were in terms of possible testing and even preventive steps to take such as removal of organs likely to develop cancer.
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