Training activity information
Details
Assist in a specialist multidisciplinary clinic providing genetic counselling expertise in collaboration with mainstream specialist healthcare professionals
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.
Considerations
- Assessing and advising risk and family cascade testing
- Reproductive options
- Research and trials
- Inheritance patterns
- Phenotype genotype correlation
- Transitional care
- Pathways of care
- Integrated, holistic and comprehensive patient care
- Professional relationships and collaborative working
- Mechanisms of support
- Commissioning pathways and funding of MDCs
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 unique genetic counselling expertise can you offer within a specialist multidisciplinary clinic? How can you effectively collaborate with mainstream specialists?
- How do Genetic Counsellors integrate their expertise within the workflows and decision-making processes of specialist multidisciplinary clinics?
- What are the key communication and collaboration skills needed to work effectively with professionals from different healthcare backgrounds?
- Discuss with your supervisor which specialist clinics you will be assisting in. What should you know about the specific specialty and the typical patient cases seen in that clinic?
- Consider potential challenges, such as clarifying the role of the Genetic Counsellor to other team members. How will you proactively contribute your expertise?
- How comfortable are you working in a specialist multidisciplinary setting? What aspects of collaborative practice do you want to focus on learning during this training activity?
In action
- What specific genetic counselling expertise are you providing, and how are you collaborating with the other healthcare professionals?
- What actions are you taking to support the clinic’s objectives?
- What decisions are you making about when and how to offer your input?
- What aspects of this collaborative work feel natural, and where are you consciously considering how to best integrate your expertise?
- How is the clinic flow and patient care progressing?
- How effective is the collaboration between the different specialists?
- What challenges are you observing in the communication or coordination of care?
- What are you learning about the specific genetic counselling needs within this specialist setting? How does this align with your understanding of the Genetic Counsellor’s role in a multidisciplinary team?
- Are there alternative ways you could be contributing your expertise to enhance patient care or team communication?
- Are there opportunities to proactively offer information or support?
- Do you need to seek clarification on the roles and responsibilities of other team members? Are you ensuring your actions are within your professional boundaries and contribute positively to the clinic’s aims?
On action
- What specific genetic counselling expertise did you and/or the genetics professional provide and how did you collaborate with the other healthcare professionals? Summarise your contributions and interactions within the clinic.
- What did you learn about providing genetic counselling in this specialist multidisciplinary setting?
- How effective did you observe the collaboration to be in supporting patient care?
- Were there any unexpected challenges or insights gained regarding the integration of genetic counselling expertise?
- How did your real-time support and input influence the clinic’s flow and patient outcomes?
- How does this experience enhance your understanding of the Genetic Counsellor’s role within multidisciplinary care pathways?
- How will this experience shape your future practice in collaborative multidisciplinary clinics?
- What aspects of your contribution were most valuable, and what areas could you develop further?
- How can you apply this learning to enhance your collaboration with other specialists?
- What further understanding of specific genetic conditions or multidisciplinary approaches might be beneficial?
- What actions will you take to further your development in this area?
Beyond action
- Looking back at your experience assisting in the specialist multidisciplinary clinic, how has your understanding of collaborative working and the integration of genetic counselling expertise within specialist settings deepened through further experiences in your training?
- Have you observed other models of multidisciplinary working that you can compare this experience with? What specific collaborative skills or understanding of different professional roles have you since gained?
- In what ways has this experience contributed to your development as a genetic counselling professional, particularly in understanding how to contribute your expertise effectively within a larger clinical team?
- Can you see connections between this training activity and your preparedness for working collaboratively in other settings or for observed communication events? How has this contributed to your understanding of patient pathways and the role of the Genetic Counsellor within them?
- Thinking about your future practice in specialist multidisciplinary settings, how will the insights gained from this experience continue to inform your collaborative approach and your delivery of genetic counselling expertise?
- What transferable skills, such as interprofessional communication and understanding of specialist care pathways, did this training activity help to develop, and how will you continue to strengthen these?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 2 |
Outcome
Employ knowledge of patient pathways in a range of healthcare settings to contribute to the Genetic Counsellor’s expertise as part of a multidisciplinary team. |
| # 4 |
Outcome
Compare the benefits and limitations of genomic screening for risk prediction and advise on their application/use in practice. |