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Varied clinical experiences, interprofessional approach

Gain access to top clinical sites in Boston and throughout New England at the MS in Genetic Counseling program at the MGH Institute. Learn in interprofessional teams of students at a graduate school focused exclusively on the health professions.

 

 

 

Jessica Waxler

 

What do you like most about being a Genetic Counselor?

“Genetics has always fascinated me—I guess you could say I’m a “science nerd”. Genetic counseling allows me to stay engaged with cutting-edge science while having meaningful interactions with individuals and their families. I learn something new almost every day but helping a person navigate complex medical information and providing support is truly rewarding.”

Jessica Waxler, MS, CGC, Assistant Professer

 

 

4:1

faculty-to-student ratio

21

months to earn your degree

29%

job growth projected over next 10 years

 

The IHP Advantage for GC

Learn from Expert Faculty

You will be mentored by faculty who are scholars and leaders in the field, across a wide range of specialties. Our faculty are recognized nationally and internationally and are practicing clinicians.

Unparalleled access

As part of Mass General Brigham, New England’s largest health care organization, the MGH Institute offers you unparalleled access to leading academic medical centers and health care sites across New England and beyond. Read more about fieldwork in Genetic Counseling.

A Team-Based IMPACT

You will learn and collaborate with students and practitioners from across the health professions. Interprofessional team-based experiences will strengthen your ability to provide patient-centered care in an increasingly complex health care environment. Learn more.

 

Meet Our Faculty: Gayun Chan-Smutko, MS, CGC, Associate Professor and Associate Director

 

A Patient’s Testament to Excellence

Gayun was nominated as Genetic Counselor of the Year by a patient who glowingly stated, “I am alive today because of her. My family is thriving today because of her. And, because of her, our future is brighter than we could have ever imagined.”  Learn more about this story, and the power of genetic counseling to change lives.

Meet the Genetic Counseling Faculty   |   View Faculty Scholarship

 

Photo of Gayun Chan-Smutko, MS, CGC
Boston skyline with Zakim Bridge
 

Team-Based Learning Forms the Foundation

Team-based learning (TBL) is at the heart of our program. Throughout your course of study, you'll work with a team of students with diverse skills and backgrounds. Rather than sitting in lecture all day, class time is spent with your team under expert faculty guidance working through real-life clinical problems and scenarios. This TBL approach:

  • Promotes lifelong learning and critical-thinking skills
  • Integrates the basic sciences, medicine, and clinical skills
  • Aims to foster compassion and improve patient care by incorporating the humanities, ethics, mindfulness and personal resilience
  • Prepares you for collaborative practice as a Genetics Counselor.

Program Curriculum

The program is five semesters in length, with the first year primarily focused on didactic and team-based education, observational fieldwork, simulated patient sessions, and initiation of the Capstone research process. The second year includes didactic work with a focus on clinical and non-clinical fieldwork experiences and completion of the Capstone project. Interprofessional training is infused throughout the curriculum. The curriculum consists of 66 credits of didactic, team-based learning, clinical, and research coursework. 

 

 
 

Position Yourself for Health Care’s Future

Evolving technologies have created an important transition in genetic counseling with a newer emphasis on genomics. Other considerations for training include preparing students to manage an increasing number of available genetic tests and the development of new reimbursable service delivery models that can serve larger communities.

Genetic counselors are increasingly being recognized for their contributions to primary care, and the vital role they play in today's health care settings.

Your studies will also prepare you to understand how individuals engage cognitively and emotionally with genomic information, how they cope with the information, and how they make decisions regarding use of the information.  Learn more about the program.

Exterior of Mass General Hospital
 

The Sanders IMPACT Practice Center

IMPACT Practice Center Reception Area

The MGH Institute’s Sanders IMPACT Practice Center brings together students from nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, speech-language pathology/language and literacy, and genetic counseling to learn and practice in teams and to deliver essential free care to the community.

Students provide care to a variety of clients, under the direct supervision of Institute faculty. They tackle complex client problems, supported by the latest technology and state-of-the-art facilities. Client populations include those with chronic conditions across the lifespan.

The center builds upon and enhances the community services currently provided by the Institute and houses these services in one integrated center. Learn more about the IMPACT Practice Center.

 

 

Institute Pledges to Combat Racial Injustice Head On

Group of multi-racial students on a staircase

In late June, the IHP announced the diversity office would become the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, or JEDI. Its agenda includes a new anti-oppression statement; the expansion of the JEDI Fellowship program; programs to improve the diversity, retention, and support of faculty, staff, and students of color, especially Black faculty, staff, and students; and a review and streamlining of procedures for reporting bias.

screen grab from PPP event in spring 2020 with Dr. Taharee Jackson and Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah

 

 

 
 

More Information for the MS in Genetic Counseling

Accreditation Status

The M.S. Genetic Counseling Program at the MGH IHP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC), Inc.

Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling, Inc. 7918 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 300, McLean, VA 22102. Telephone: (703) 506-7667. 

Program Goals, Mission, and Objectives

The Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program will:

  1. Educate skilled, knowledgeable, and compassionate genetic counselors who will contribute to high quality health care for a diverse society and who will provide leadership in genetics.

  2. Seek to recruit qualified students of diverse backgrounds, and will contribute to the provision of culturally competent care to promote access to healthcare.

  3. Offer a curriculum that reflects contemporary knowledge, a commitment to critical inquiry, life-long learning, evidence-based practice, and engagement in active learning.

  4. Provide leadership in the development of innovative clinical education models to support quality practice in genetic counseling.

  5. Foster scholarship in genetics and genomics for faculty and students through research collaborations, mentorship, and capstone projects.

  6. Model collaborations with providers and researchers from different institutions within and external to Mass General Brigham, matching the collaborative nature of the genetics field. 

Read more on the program's mission and objectives

About the Profession

Resources:

National Society of Genetic Counselors: https://www.nsgc.org/page/becomeageneticcounselor

National Society of Genetic Counselors, Master Genetic Counselor Series: https://www.nsgc.org/p/cm/ld/fid=248

Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors: https://agcpd.org/

Professional Organizations:

National Society of Genetic Counselors: www.nsgc.org

American Board of Genetic Counseling: www.abgc.net

Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors: www.agcpd.org

Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling: www.gceducation.org

 

Fieldwork in Genetic Counseling

Read more about fieldwork in Genetic Counseling.

Student Support
Campus and Community Life

View our virtual campus tour and learn more about the IHP's campus and facilities

Learn more about campus life, housing, and transportation around Boston

Search for housing on our off-campus housing site.

Read about the First Class of Incoming Students

Read a news article about the Genetic Counseling Class of 2021.