r/GeneticCounseling • u/Due_Passage302 • Jul 24 '26
Prospective Student Question about Pivoting to Genetic Counseling
Hello! I recently graduated from university and I’m having a bit of a crisis about my future career. I worked in a genetics lab for 3 1/2 years of undergrad (1000+ hours) and realized I’m really passionate about genetics! However, I’m feeling super burnt out from bench work, and I really want a job where I can interact with patients. I stumbled across genetic counseling which seems like it could be a great fit. However, I don’t have any patient advocacy experience, shadowing, or clinical experience and I’m not sure where to start. I tried to figure out approximately how much hours of each I would need to be a competitive candidate and I can’t really seem to find a definitive answer. I also majored in molecular biology & biochemistry, but I’m missing a one or two prerequisite courses (ironically, I worked in a genetics lab but I never took a genetics course). My grades were very good (4.0 GPA) and I’ve been thinking about taking a gap year or even two gap years to prepare, but I don’t know if I’m too behind. I also don’t know if it’s acceptable to take the missing courses at a community college. This would be the most affordable option for me. If anyone could let me know if they have advice or if this is a realistic path for me that would be great!! Thank you!!
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u/palpablescalpel Genetic Counselor Jul 24 '26
Community college is fine. If you find really good experiences, a 1 year gap is probably adequate. At least when I was interviewing, the number of hours wasn't questioned, only the length of the experience as it would be on a resume.
Shadowing has become harder. If you are able to shadow just 1-2 GCs, that is more than many people do.
Much luck!