Training activity information
Details
Prepare for a range of clinical appointments through identifying, synthesising, organising and summarising relevant information about the genetic condition in question
Type
Entrustable training activity (ETA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee repeatedly, consistently, and effectively over time, in a range of situations. This may include occasions where the trainee has not successfully achieved the outcome of the activity themselves. For example, because it was not appropriate to undertake the task in the circumstances or the trainees recognised their own limitations and sought help or advice to ensure the activity reached an appropriate conclusion.
Reflection at multiple timepoints on the trainee learning journey for this activity.
Considerations
- Aetiology
- Pathophysiology
- Genetic mechanisms
- Clinical features
- Commonly encountered medical terminology including that relevant to dysmorphology and cancer genetic histopathology
- Relevant literature
- Leaflets, decision aids and support groups
- Genetic test availability and pathways
- Clinical guidelines
- Scope of practice and multidisciplinary team advice
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 does success look like?
- Consider how the learning outcomes apply, specifically in relation to applying counselling skills, facilitating decision-making, and identifying opportunities for referral.
- Discuss what is expected of you in relation to a well-prepared summary for different types of appointments.
What is your prior experience of this activity?
- Think about what you already know about gathering, summarising, or organising information for clinical settings.
- Consider possible challenges you might face during the activity, such as identifying, synthesising, or summarising complex information for a range of conditions.
- Recognise the scope of your own practice for this activity i.e. know when you will need to seek advice or help, and from whom. You will need to seek advice when required, for example if the complexity of the genetic condition requires specialist input on the relevant clinical research to summarise.
- Acknowledge how you feel about preparing for this range of appointments.
What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- Consider the specific skills you want to develop, such as information management, critical appraisal, or applying communication strategies in preparation (drawing upon previous experiences of the activity).
- Identify the specific insights you hope to gain into the efficiency and effectiveness of different preparation methods.
What additional considerations do you need to make?
- Identify important information you need to consider before embarking on the activity, such as specific patient information or condition details you need to gather or clarify before you begin synthesising and summarising.
In action
Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate whilst actively working to identify, synthesise, organise, and summarise relevant information about the genetic condition in question?
- Are you encountering situations such as:
- Difficulty finding information or discovering unexpected complexity in the case?
- Finding crucial information missing that you require to produce a comprehensive summary?
How are you reacting to the unexpected development?
- How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding to the situation appropriately? Are you adapting or changing your approach to your search or synthesis strategy?
- Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as: Immediately seeking advice or support regarding the complex information or adapting your workflow to account for the missing data.
- How are you feeling in that moment? For instance, are you finding it difficult to adapt your pre-flection strategy? Is it affecting your confidence in producing a well-prepared summary?
What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Identify how you are working within your scope of practice. For example, were you able to overcome the challenge and synthesise the necessary summary? Or are you needing support because the complexity of the case requires immediate input from a senior clinician or training officer?
- What are you learning as a result of the unexpected development? For example, are you learning in the moment about adapting your preparation process to address missing crucial information?
On action
What happened?
- Begin by summarising the key steps you took when producing the preparation for this specific appointment, including identifying necessary guidelines and synthesising information.
- Consider specific events, actions, or interactions which felt important, such as how you integrated academic literature findings into your concise summary of the genetic condition, or the interaction when finding unexpected complexity in the case.
- Include any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you had to adapt to the situation as it unfolded, for instance, immediately performing an expanded literature search when the initial synthesis revealed conflicting prognostic data.
- How did you feel during this experience, e.g., did you feel challenged by the complex information or confident in the structure of your summary?
How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- Identify what learning you can take from this experience regarding preparation and information synthesis. What strengths did you demonstrate, e.g., adherence to reviewing all relevant guidelines or effective identification of the core clinical features?
- What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident, e.g., unfamiliarity with a specific academic resource necessary for comprehensive synthesis or difficulty summarising psychosocial information concisely?
- Compare this experience against previous engagement with similar activities – were any previously identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice improved in integrating complex information efficiently?
- Identify any challenges you experienced, such as needing to seek advice or clarification on scope of practice regarding lack of data on a specific, rare genetic condition, and how you reacted to this.
What will you take from the experience moving forward?
- Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learnt, including from any feedback you have received, with regards to improving recognition and synthesis of psychosocial factors.
- What will you do differently next time you approach preparing for an appointment, for instance, by proactively incorporating a standardised template for summarising phenotypic variability?
- Do you need to practise any aspect of the activity further, such as specific skills in critical appraisal of scientific literature or key learning outcomes related to applying counselling skills?
Beyond action
Have you revisited the experiences?
- How have your subsequent experiences of identifying, synthesising, organising, and summarising relevant information for complex cases since completing this specific training activity led you to revisit your initial approach or decisions during that activity? For example, how a subsequent case requiring integration of conflicting prognostic data from academic literature forced you to re-evaluate the meticulousness of your source verification and critical analysis during your first attempt at this training activity?
- Considering what you understand about information management, critical analysis, and case formulation now, were the actions or considerations you identified after your initial reflection on this training activity sufficient? How have you since implemented or adapted improvements in your agenda-setting practice based on further learning and experiences? For example, how you proactively integrated specific templates for summarising phenotypic variability based on feedback regarding conciseness, demonstrating you have adapted improvements based on further learning.
- Has discussing difficulties encountered when accessing reputable sources or managing missing data or the impact of poor information synthesis on clinical consultation effectiveness with colleagues, peers, or supervisors changed how you now view your initial experience in this training activity?
How have these experiences impacted upon current practice?
- How has the learning from this initial training activity, in combination with subsequent agenda identification and rapport-building experiences, contributed to your overall confidence and ability in case preparation and information gathering? For example, how your accumulated ability in meticulously synthesising complex information now enables you to confidently structure the necessary pre-consultation summaries.
- How has reflecting back on this specific training activity, combined with everything you’ve learned since, shaped your current approach to identifying, synthesising, organising, and summarising relevant information? How does this evolved understanding help you identify when something is beyond your scope of practice or requires escalation?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Plan, structure, deliver and appropriately document Genetic Counsellor consultations. |
| # 3 |
Outcome
Critically analyse the literature and evidence base to compile information on the aetiology and clinical presentation of a range of genetic and genomic disorders. |
| # 4 |
Outcome
Apply communication skills and knowledge to provide genetic information to individuals and their families across a range of clinical situations being sensitive to patient information needs and the psychosocial and cultural context of the situation. |