Does the amount of family history matter? Perspectives of adult adoptees.

Family history is considered the gold standard for risk assessment of inherited conditions and is often used to inform preventative care. There are currently no provider guidelines that address caring for patients with a lack of family history, and adoptees report inconsistent care because of this. Through this qualitative study, we explored (1) how the amount of family history impacts adoptees' perceptions of healthcare and (2) adoptees' suggestions for improvement of their healthcare.

Factors influencing applicants' rank order in the Genetic Counseling Admissions Match.

Previous studies have identified factors that influence genetic counseling applicants' decisions to initially apply to certain schools. However, research on the factors that influence their Genetic Counseling Admissions Match (GCAM) rank order preferences are limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate these factors via an online survey sent to current students and recent graduates who participated in the GCAM.

Factors associated with pediatric genetic counselors' practices related to bullying screening.

Bullying is reported in around 20% of children according to the US Department of Education and has been reported in the histories of individuals with genetic disorders. To our knowledge, there has never been a study surveying whether genetic counselors screen their pediatric patients for bullying. This is despite guidelines that pediatric healthcare providers should screen for bullying.

Exploring genetic counselors' use of pedigree symbols to represent assisted reproductive technology.

The standardized pedigree nomenclature recommendations created by the National Society of Genetic Counselors Pedigree Standardization Work Group contains some Assistive Reproductive Technology (ART) specific nomenclature. However, the work groups' recommendations lack instructions on how to document 'the number of embryos conceived, frozen, and implanted, along with their genetic testing history' (Bennett et al., 2008, p.