Fieldwork

Stanford's genetic counseling program provides students with a depth and breadth of fieldwork experiences to support the development of practice-based competencies.

• Training occurs in multiple specialty areas across the life cycle, including possible rotations in prenatal, pediatrics, adult, cancer, neurogenetics, cardiogenetics and reproductive genetics
• All students complete a rotation in variant interpretation

• Placements occur in a variety of settings (clinical, laboratory, research, industry)
• Multiple service delivery models are utilized (in-person, telephone, tele-medicine)
• Students interact with clients with a wide variety of reasons for referral and diagnoses

• Students serve patients from a range of socioeconomic, racial, cultural and linguistic backgrounds
• Training at sites with Spanish-speaking genetic counselors may be possible
• Some fieldwork placements may require transportation (car or public transportation)

• Additional skill development can be gained by working with non-genetics providers, or in utilization management, sales and marketing, leadership, or with support groups and advocacy organizations
• Students have opportunities to work with trained actors in a recorded setting in Stanford’s Center for Immersive and Simulation-based Learning
• 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 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 during the academic year is a mixture of 5- and 10- week blocks, part time
  • Fieldwork training in the summer is typically 10 weeks, full time