Mentor Assessment #1

The first time that I was able to shadow a genetic counselor was when I shadowed my mentor, Ms. Kelly Johnson at Baylor Scott & White Health. After getting to observe how meetings with genetic counselors go, my passion for Genetic Counseling was re-ignited. I got to sit in on two of her patient meetings (clinics) and it was mind-blowing.

The first patient I observed was an older lady who came with her husband. I believe that she had already been diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer and had a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy to remove the cancer. Ms. Johnson started off by asking the patient about her medical and family history. She drew a pedigree (family tree) that mapped out most of the patients relatives and whether or not other people in her family had also had cancer. After the pedigree was done Ms. Johnson explained what the pedigree was and what each symbol stood for. She also explained that since there were a lot of males in the patient's family that it is hard to tell if her cancer was linked to genetics. Ms. Johnson moved on to talk about the patient’s cancer diagnosis from her genetic testing. She explained that the patient had a mutation in her BRCA2 gene which caused her breast cancer and that her children have a 50% chance of also having the mutation in their gene. Then she explained what testing is available for the patient’s relatives and that she and some things about insurance. During this time I learned about a law called GINA, which stands for Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. This act states that employers cannot discuss genetic information about an employee with another staff member, retaliate against an employee for asserting their rights under GINA, and cannot discriminate against someone because of their genetic information. She explained that GINA also applies to insurance companies and recommended that if the patient’s family were to be genetically tested, then they should create or edit their life insurance plan prior to the testing because sometimes insurance companies may restrict the type of insurance available. Then she went over the percentage of each type of cancer associated with the BRCA2 gene and how likely she was to get different cancers. Lastly she asked the patient and her husband how they were doing since the diagnosis. They responded that it has been hard but she has stayed strong through everything. The second patient clinic that I observed was also a woman with her husband and she also had the BRCA2 gene mutation. Ms.Johnson went over the same things she did with the first patient but went more into depth about everything since this patient was newly diagnosed with cancer while the first patient had been diagnosed for some time now.

Through observing these clinics I got a new view of Genetic Counseling. Before this shadowing opportunity, I thought that Genetic Counseling was very boring, because I had only read about it but now I see that you get to teach people and help them understand these complex genetic ideas. Before we went into the clinics, Ms. Johnson gave me a lot of information about Genetic Counseling. She talked about how she sees around 3-4 patients per day for about 1 hour and that she has a very good work-life balance. She also told me about podcasts about Genetic Counseling and that there are books written by people who have been diagnosed with a genetic disorder that I should read. We also talked about the classes and AP tests that I have and about colleges that I am looking at attending. After speaking with her about school, I felt more confident that I am on the right track to become a Genetic Counselor and that the research that we have done ISM has positively influenced my future regarding my education. Overall I feel more informed about Genetic Counseling and what the job entails and I cannot wait to continue to shadow Ms. Johnson in the future.