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The Program
The Department of Genetic Counseling
offers a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling through
the College of Health Related Professions and the Graduate School at the
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The
curriculum is designed to emphasize the principles of human genetics,
the applicability of related sciences to human medical genetics, the
principles and practice of medical genetics, the psychosocial, social,
ethical, and legal aspects of delivering genetic services, and the
teaching skills and research methods needed to promote the use of
genetic services.
Several courses in the curriculum use a variety of
distance education methods since a small portion of faculty reside
outside of Little Rock. Interactive video and
Web-based lectures are given both asynchronously and synchronously,
depending on the material being presented. Students are able to access the asynchronous portions of the curriculum via the Internet
at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences [UAMS] campus in
Little Rock. The
asynchronous portion of the didactic program, however, comprises only a
small portion of the curriculum. The synchronous portions of the
curriculum require attendance at the UAMS campus. The clinical portion of the curriculum
takes
place in a face-to-face ("live") format, and may require students to
travel relatively short distance to complete the clinical rotations.
Practicums are an integral portion of
this program. Clinical experiences will provide students with first-hand
experiences with families affected by a broad range of genetic diseases
and birth defects. There are a sufficient number and variety of
clinical experiences to ensure that all students will receive adequate,
supervised, genetic counseling experiences and help to prepare them for
individual certification by the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC).
Specific Program Objectives:
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To create and provide appropriate
instruction that allows students to comprehend the medical facts,
including etiology, modes of inheritance, diagnosis, natural history,
and management of a large number of genetic disorders and birth
defects
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To construct course work material
that provides students insight and practice in counseling theories,
interviewing methods, family dynamics, crisis counseling, normal and
pathological phases of grief, and the empowerment of clients
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To promote a learning environment
that encourages students to pursue scholarly endeavors such as
research, publication, education, and grant writing
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To allow students to analyze
important sociologic, ethical, legal and public health issues that are
specific to the fields of medical genetics and genetic counseling
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To encourage students to develop
instructional skills that will allow them to help address the genetic
educational needs of their medical and lay communities
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To foster clinical environments that
allow students to interpret and disseminate this information to
appropriately-referred patients who need genetic counseling, under the
supervision of qualified genetic and other medical specialists
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To build and strengthen clinical
environments that encourage students to utilize the psychosocial
assessment tools that they have learned for the benefit of their
patients/clients who need help understanding and adjusting to genetic
diagnoses/test results
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To develop and sustain laboratory
environments that assist the students in obtaining practical knowledge
of the genetic tests that they discuss with patients/clients and their
families
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