Fieldwork

Stanford's genetic counseling program provides students with a depth and breadth of fieldwork experiences to support the development of practice-based competencies. Fieldwork will also foster development of skills around collaborating with supervisors and clinical partners, communication and adapting to new situations and environments.  

  • Fieldwork placements will include specialty areas across the life cycle, including prenatal, general genetics, cancer, and other pediatric and adult specialty areas as they are available (ex: neurogenetics,  cardiogenetics and reproductive genetics) 

  • All students will complete a rotation in variant interpretation 

  • Fieldwork placements occur in a variety of settings (clinical, laboratory, research, industry) 

    • Multiple service delivery models will be utilized (telephone, in-person, tele-medicine) 

    • Students will interact with clients with a wide variety of reasons for referral and diagnoses 

    • Students will interact with clients from a range of socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds 

    • Training at sites with Spanish-speaking genetic counselors may be possible 

    • Placements may occur in-person or remotely; some in-person placements may require transportation (car or public transportation)


  • Fieldwork rotations also include “supplementary experiences” (public health genetics-related activities, variant interpretation, test development, implementation, and performance, utilization management, customer liaison and support, sales and marketing, leadership and management, and involvement with support groups and other advocacy organizations)

  • Students have opportunities to work with trained actors in a recorded setting in Stanford’s Center for Immersive and Simulation-based Learning (https://cisl.stanford.edu) 

  • Independent study projects may be incorporated into the fieldwork schedule. These self-directed projects give you the opportunity to explore a topic of interest in depth

  • Starting fieldwork experiences during year 1 gives students the maximum opportunity to develop competencies and integrate didactic and fieldwork experiences. Students complete fieldwork training over the course of 5-6 quarters, including summer.

    • The Role Play course in fall quarter of year 1 introduces students to components of clinical interactions

    • Clinical Training Boot Camp in winter quarter of year 1 facilitates development of clinical skills and organizational techniques that students will use in rotations

    • Fieldwork training begins winter quarter of year 1

    • Fieldwork training is typically 7 weeks per quarter, part time during the academic year and full time over the summer.