The Master of Science in Genetic Counseling Program at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science is committed to preparing students to enter the practice of genetic counseling and to develop the knowledge, skills, judgment, and professional behaviors expected of an entry-level genetic counselor.
Technical standards describe the essential nonacademic abilities and functions necessary to participate meaningfully and safely in the program’s didactic, experiential, clinical, research, and professional activities. These standards apply throughout admission, matriculation, progression, and graduation.
Students must be able to meet these standards with or without reasonable accommodations. The manner in which a student performs an essential function may vary, provided that the student can achieve the fundamental educational and professional requirements of the program. Appropriate assistive technologies, auxiliary aids, interpreters, and other reasonable accommodations may be used when they enable the student to meet an essential standard without fundamentally altering the program’s curriculum or essential requirements. Students who believe they may require an accommodation are encouraged to work with CDU’s Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS).
The program’s standards are organized in the following domains.
1. Observation and Information Acquisition
Students must be able to:
- Participate in and obtain relevant information from classroom, laboratory, research, simulation, clinical, and other required educational experiences.
- Recognize and interpret clinically relevant verbal, nonverbal, behavioral, and other information from patients and families, including information that may require consultation, supervision, or timely action.
- Access, review, and interpret information from medical and family histories, pedigrees, medical records, laboratory and genetic test reports, scientific literature, databases, and other clinical or educational resources in accessible formats.
- Identify pertinent findings and integrate information from multiple sources to support appropriate clinical assessment and decision-making.
2. Communication
Students must be able to:
- Elicit relevant medical, family, psychosocial, and cultural information and communicate complex genetic, genomic, medical, and risk information clearly, sensitively, and in a manner responsive to individual needs.
- Establish effective, patient-centered relationships through empathetic and respectful verbal and nonverbal communication, adapting to differences in language, culture, health literacy, disability, emotional state, and other individual circumstances, including appropriate use of interpreters or communication supports.
- Communicate accurately and professionally in oral, written, electronic, and other appropriate formats with patients, families, healthcare teams, and members of the educational community, including participation in discussions, presentations, and collaborative activities.
- Document patient care accurately and promptly; maintain confidentiality and privacy; respond appropriately to instructions and feedback; and recognize when supervision, consultation, or assistance is needed.
3. Cognitive, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities
Students must be able to:
- Acquire, organize, interpret, and integrate complex scientific, medical, psychosocial, and professional information from clinical records, pedigrees, genetic test results, scientific literature, and other relevant sources.
- Apply principles of genetics, genomics, inheritance, probability, quantitative reasoning, risk assessment, and evidence-based practice to identify significant findings, recognize patterns, evaluate alternative explanations, and draw appropriate conclusions.
- Use critical thinking and sound judgment to formulate risk assessments, counseling and educational approaches, and follow-up plans; adapt decisions as new information becomes available and clearly communicate the reasoning supporting conclusions and recommendations.
- Organize and complete academic, clinical, and research activities efficiently, including critically evaluating literature, interpreting and presenting data, engaging in self-evaluation, and recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge and competence.
4. Physical, Motor, Technological, and Participation Abilities
Students must be able to:
- Participate effectively and safely in required didactic, clinical, research, laboratory, simulation, fieldwork, and virtual experiences, including sustaining participation and performing essential physical or motor tasks with reasonable accommodations when applicable.
- Navigate and access required educational and clinical settings in a timely manner and meet program expectations for scheduling, attendance, safety, and response to environmental conditions or alerts.
- Use computers, electronic medical records, videoconferencing, databases, educational technology, and other required digital tools to access, manage, document, communicate, and transmit information.
- Complete required academic, clinical, research, and electronic documentation accurately and within established timeframes.
5. Interpersonal, Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Abilities
Students must be able to:
- Develop and maintain respectful, empathetic, and effective professional relationships; work independently and collaboratively; and maintain appropriate interpersonal and professional boundaries.
- Demonstrate sound judgment, self-control, reliability, integrity, and professionalism while fulfilling responsibilities, managing competing demands, and functioning effectively during stressful, uncertain, or emotionally challenging situations.
- Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability to changing environments and circumstances, while appropriately managing personal reactions and maintaining patient-centered interactions with individuals and families experiencing complex or sensitive situations.
- Demonstrate self-awareness and commitment to professional growth by engaging in reflection, recognizing limitations or errors, seeking supervision or assistance when appropriate, and giving, receiving, and incorporating constructive feedback.
6. Ethics and Professionalism
Students must be able to:
- Apply ethical principles, professional standards, laws, regulations, and institutional policies; recognize and appropriately address ethical concerns while maintaining privacy and confidentiality.
- Demonstrate honesty, integrity, accountability, reliability, and professional conduct; maintain appropriate boundaries; acknowledge errors or limitations; and seek supervision, consultation, or referral when appropriate.
- Respect and advocate for patients and families, including their autonomy, values, beliefs, backgrounds, experiences, preferences, and decisions, while interacting respectfully and without unlawful discrimination.
- Fulfill professional responsibilities across in-person and electronic environments, comply with applicable program and clinical requirements, use technology and social media appropriately, and demonstrate commitment to continued learning and professional growth.
Reasonable Accommodations and Equal Access
The Genetic Counseling Program at CDU is committed to providing qualified students with disabilities equitable access to its educational opportunities. A disability does not, in itself, preclude admission to or participation in the Program.
Students who believe they may require an accommodation are encouraged to work with CDU’s Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS). An accommodation should enable a student to meet the essential requirements of the curriculum without lowering academic or professional standards or fundamentally altering an essential component of the program.
Reasonable accommodations may include:
- Auxiliary aids
- Assistive technology
- Communication services
- Modifications in the manner in which an activity is performed
- Additional time on exams or assignments
- Other appropriate measures.