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.