General Information
Clinical rotations are an integral part of the Genetic Counseling Program and provide students with opportunities to increase their general clinical knowledge, gain experience with counseling for a variety of indications and develop the necessary skills and competencies required for the practice of genetic counseling in many settings and applications.
During the second year of the program, there will be two 7-week rotations per semester (for a total of 5 rotations in the second year) to permit students to work in a variety of settings reflective of current genetic counseling trends and practices. During these rotations, students will be directly supervised by ABGC certified Genetic Counselors and/or Clinical Geneticists at respective sites. Program faculty remain in good communication with students during their rotations to maximize learning experiences.
- Each student will complete at least one rotation in pediatric/general/adult genetics, cancer genetics, and prenatal diagnosis. The remaining rotations will be assigned based on the individual student’s interest and rotation availability.
- Students have the opportunity to collaborate with clinical supervisors in establishing specific learning objectives for each rotation to empower each student to maximize their learning and personal growth.
- Evaluation and feedback of the student’s activities and progress is an informative, ongoing component of clinical rotations. Through thoughtful discussion with clinical supervisors, students are able to target skills and practices appropriately.
- Students are required to keep an accurate logbook and journal of their clinical experiences that will include appropriate written documentation of their patient contacts (e.g. clinic notes, summary letters) in accordance with accreditation requirements
Student Information
Clinical Rotation Plans are shared with each cohort in the Spring of the first year. Discussions regarding student priorities and interests begins in early Fall of the first year. Rotation site placement is determined by many factors, including site availability and the training needs of all students.
The program works closely with other programs interested in utilizing sites, or with programs outside of North Carolina where a student may be interested in completing a placement. Each placement site requires an affiliation agreement. As such, interest in rotating at a new site, or a site outside of North Carolina should be expressed to program leadership early on.
Requirements for Clinical Rotations
Requirements for rotations will be discussed generally in GEN 668 (Introduction to Clinical Encounters). Site-specific rotation requirements will be communicated on an individual basis from the primary site contact.