Genetic Counseling Practice Analysis

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Genetic Counseling Practice Analysis Heather Hampel & Robin E. Grubs & Carol S. Walton & Emma Nguyen & Daniel H. Breidenbach & Steve Nettles & The American Board of Genetic Counseling 2008 Practice Analysis Advisory Committee including Nancy Callanan & Meagan Corliss & Stephanie Fox & Susan Hiraki & Lisa Ku & Whitney Neufeld-Kaiser & Bronson Riley & Jamie Taylor & LuAnn Weik

Received: 21 October 2008 / Accepted: 7 January 2009 / Published online: 11 March 2009 # National Society of Genetic Counselors, Inc. 2009

37.1% corrected response rate. Five major content domains with 143 tasks were identified in the PA. New certification test specifications were developed on the basis of PA results and will be used in developing future examination forms. In keeping with credentialing standards, ABGC plans to conduct a PA on a regular basis so that the content of the examination reflects current practice.

Abstract The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) performed a genetic counseling practice analysis (PA) to determine the content of the certification examination. The ABGC-appointed PA Advisory Committee worked with psychometricians to develop a survey which was distributed to 2,038 genetic counselors in the United States and Canada. The survey was also accessible on the ABGC website. Multiple criteria were used to establish the significance of the tasks included in the survey. A total of 677 responses were used in the analysis, representing a

Key words Genetic counseling . Practice analysis . Certification . Examination

H. Hampel : R. E. Grubs : C. S. Walton American Board of Genetic Counseling, Olathe, KS, USA

S. Fox McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada

H. Hampel (*) Division of Human Genetics, The Ohio State University, 2050 Kenny Road, 8th floor tower, Columbus, OH 43221, USA e-mail: [email protected]

S. Hiraki Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

R. E. Grubs The University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

W. Neufeld-Kaiser University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA

C. S. Walton : L. Ku The University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, USA

B. Riley Southeast Nebraska Cancer Center, Lincoln, NE, USA

E. Nguyen : D. H. Breidenbach : S. Nettles Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc., Olathe, KS, USA

J. Taylor Genzyme Genetics, Los Angeles, CA, USA

M. Corliss Genzyme Genetics, Philadelphia, PA, USA

L. Weik Childrens Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

206

Introduction The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) examination is part of the professional certification process for genetic counselors. A Certified Genetic Counselor (CGC®) is considered to have met the standards to provide competent genetic counseling services (ABGC, 2008). With the introduction of licensure in a growing number of states, this test may determine who can or cannot practice as a genetic counselor. Thus, the certification exam may entail more significant consequences than it did in the past deeming it a “high-stakes” test. High-stakes tests such as professional cert