Prenatal Genomics —
Training activity: 11

Details

Participate in service delivery for prenatal services to include:

• Communication with other healthcare professionals
• Troubleshooting of testing

 

Type

Developmental training activity (DTA)

Evidence requirements

Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee​.

Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.

An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.

Reflective practice guidance

The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.

Before action

What are the intended outcomes of the training activity?

• How will you prepare to determine and apply the most appropriate investigations for prenatal samples s?
• What are the critical elements you need to master to ensure your genomic reports include clear and actionable recommendations for patient management?
• How do you plan to use your specialist knowledge of prenatal genomics to contribute to a service that is consistently of high quality?
• What do you need to know before embarking on the activity? For example, what are the local laboratory turnaround time (TAT) requirements for prenatal cases, and which clinical pathways are currently in use?

What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?

• Consider the specific insights you hope to gain from engaging with active service delivery, such as how the laboratory manages the technical and clinical urgency inherent in prenatal testing.
• How does your previous knowledge of prenatal genomics and variant interpretation provide a basis for participating in a live diagnostic service?

What actions will you take in preparation for the experience?

• How will you gain clarity on your role within the service delivery team and the local Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?
• Consider possible challenges you might face—such as time-sensitive reporting pressures, limited foetal sample volumes, or managing complex clinical referrals—and think about how you might handle them.
• Given that these service delivery actions provide essential diagnostic information for high-risk pregnancies, how are you preparing for the professional responsibility involved?

In action

What are you doing?

• How are you currently approaching the task of selecting and applying testing strategies for prenatal referrals ? Why have you chosen these specific pathways?
• What real-time decisions are you making as you navigate the service delivery workflow, particularly regarding the interpretation of findings and the drafting of reports?
• Which aspects of delivering the prenatal service feel intuitive based on your prior experience, and which parts—such as formulating clear management recommendations—require more conscious effort?

How are you progressing with the activity?

• How effective are your current actions in achieving the goal of delivering a safe and high-quality prenatal genomic service?
• What technical or clinical challenges are you facing in the moment—such as meeting urgent laboratory turnaround times—and what can you learn from these as they unfold?
• How does this live participation in service delivery connect to your existing knowledge and skills in prenatal genomics and clinical reporting?
• In what ways are you applying your specialist knowledge in real-time to ensure the genomic investigations remain safe and accurate?

How are you adapting to the situation?

• Are there alternative testing strategies or reporting approaches you should consider if new clinical information (e.g., additional ultrasound details) emerges during the process?
• Do you need support or guidance from your Training Officer or a senior Clinical Scientist to resolve a query?
• As you participate in the service and report prenatal genomic findings, are you ensuring that you are working strictly within your professional scope of practice?
• How are you adapting your behaviour to ensure that service delivery remains at a high standard even under time-sensitive pressures?

On action

What did you notice?

• Summarise the key points of the experience, specifically the specific service delivery tasks you performed, such as triaging referrals, coordinating with clinical teams, or managing the workflow for prenatal cases.
• What were the essential clinical or technical details—such as specific screening risks or ultrasound findings—that most significantly influenced the testing strategies implemented?

What did you learn from the activity?

• What specific skills or knowledge did you develop regarding applying appropriate testing strategies for patients referred for increased screening risk or abnormal ultrasound findings?
• How has this experience improved your ability to report prenatal genomic findings and formulate appropriate recommendations for patient management?
• Were there any unexpected challenges or successes during the service delivery process—such as managing urgent turnaround times or technical limitations—and what did you learn from these?
• In what ways did your reflection-in-action (the real-time decisions you made during the workday) influence the safety and efficiency of the service?
• How does the experience of delivering a safe and high-quality prenatal genomic service relate to the professional requirements for your post-programme practice as a Clinical Scientist?

What will you take from the experience moving forward?

• What specific areas for continued development in prenatal service delivery have been identified as a result of this activity?
• How can you apply the learning from this experience to your practice to ensure you consistently provide high-quality care?
• Identify the specific actions you will now take—such as reviewing local SOPs or seeking feedback on report clarity—to support the assimilation of what you have learned?
• What support or resources (e.g., senior clinical scientist mentorship, specialist databases, or further case-based discussions) do you need to further develop your expertise in this field?

Beyond action

Have you revisited the experiences?

• How has your perspective on applying appropriate testing strategies for increased screening risk or abnormal scan findings evolved as you have encountered a broader range of clinical cases since this activity?
• Comparing these experiences with your Observed Training Activities (OTAs), what specific observable behaviours—such as your efficiency in laboratory workflows or adherence to reporting timelines—have you now assimilated into your practice?
• As part of a module review, what recurring themes have you identified regarding the safety and quality of the prenatal service by revisiting reflections from multiple training activities?
• Through discussions with senior colleagues or peers, has your view of the challenges in prenatal service delivery changed or transformed as a result of that mutual exchange?

How have these experiences impacted your current practice?

• Recognising that these individual activities are not isolated incidents, how has this experience supported your development in wider areas, such as writing reports and formulating patient management recommendations?
• How have you applied the specialist knowledge of prenatal genomics gained from this activity since the original experience to improve the quality of the service you provide today?
• How is the learning from your participation in service delivery supporting your preparation for “in-person” assessments, such as Case-based Discussions (CBDs) or Direct Observations of Practical Skills (DOPS) for this module?

How might these experiences contribute to your future practice?

• What transferable skills—such as the ability to manage time-sensitive clinical pressures or coordinate complex diagnostic pathways—are you continuing to develop as you move toward becoming a Clinical Scientist?
• What clear actions have you identified for the continued development of your specialist knowledge to ensure you consistently deliver a safe and high-quality prenatal genomic service in the future?

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 1	Outcome Apply appropriate testing strategies to patients referred for increased screening risk.
# 2	Outcome Apply appropriate testing strategies to patients referred following abnormal ultrasound scan findings.
# 3	Outcome Apply appropriate testing strategies to patients with a family history of a genetic disorder.
# 6	Outcome Report prenatal genomic findings, including appropriate recommendations for patient management.
# 7	Outcome Employ specialist knowledge of prenatal genomics to deliver a safe and high quality prenatal genomic service.