LAUSR

The role of the genetic counselor in newborn screening is a unique one that involves a partnership with physicians and families. Most genetic counselors who do work related to newborn screening work either for a public health organization in a result-reporting capacity or for a major medical center that sees babies and their parents for further genetic counseling, testing, and management of any identified conditions. This sidebar will focus on how public health genetic counselors who work in newborn screening interact with physicians and some families. Most genetic counselors, myself included, have extensive experience in handling situations that can be very stressful for an individual patient, parent, or family. The desire to help is tempered greatly by doing so in a way that helps provide a path forward with as much knowledge and support as possible. Knowledge is power, but genetic counselors offer it up on as soft a bed as possible. That being said, the role of the genetic counselor in newborn screening is constantly evolving as technology and therapies continue to improve. The first step to understanding the role of a genetic counselor in newborn screening is to have a better understanding of what a genetic counselor does. The Genetic Counseling Definition Task Force of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) developed the following definition of genetic counseling that was approved by the NSGC Board of Directors: Genetic counseling is the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological, and familial implications of genetic…