Abstract
The genetic counseling profession has undergone unprecedented growth over the past decade. As the demand for genetic counselors exceeds supply, students are being recruited for genetic counseling positions months before graduation. The goals of this study were to explore genetic counseling students’ experiences with the job search based on the timing of their job search and to evaluate the impact of various factors on their search for jobs. We surveyed 135 genetic counselors that graduated from an ACGC-accredited genetic counseling program between 2015 and 2019. Overall, our results showed that the timing of job search had little influence on the participants’ overall experiences with the job search process. Most participants reported feeling somewhat confident or quite confident in knowing what they desired in a job, thought that their first job was a good match, and did not second-guess their job choice between the time they accepted an offer and the time they started the job. However, almost half of the participants (48.9%) reported that their rotations were assigned by the program without consideration of their personal preferences, and the majority of the participants (69.1%) did not apply for jobs in practice areas in which they had not completed a rotation. This provided insight into the impact that a student’s clinical training schedule may have on their job search. This study serves as a valuable resource for future genetic counseling students as well as training programs to help optimize the experiences of students overall.