biology

National Society of Genetic Counselors

National Society of Genetic Counselors is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand National Society of Genetic Counselors rather than just read about it. In short: The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), founded and incorporated in 1979, is the largest association of genetic counselors with over 3,600 members. Its membership includes genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals working in the field of medical genetics from the United States, Canada, and around the world.

Key takeaways

National Society of Genetic Counselors belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect National Society of Genetic Counselors to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of National Society of Genetic Counselors from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), founded and incorporated in 1979, is the largest association of genetic counselors with over 3,600 members. Its membership includes genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals working in the field of medical genetics from the United States, Canada, and around the world. NSCG has a Code of Ethics which provides guidance to the members on the ethical responsibilities of a genetic counselor. This code is reviewed periodically to best represent the current needs of the public and of genetic counselors. There is also a Conflict of Interest policy, which addresses possible conflicts of interest of members when they are acting on behalf of NSGC. There are similar associations, such as the Canadian Association of Genetic Counselors, the Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors, the Professional Society of Genetic Counselors in Asia, and the Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors for those genetic counselors who are currently practicing in Canada, the UK and Ireland, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, respectively.

NSGC Leadership The NSGC Board of Directors consists of the President, President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, Secretary/Treasurer-Elect, Immediate Past President, Executive Director, and 7 Directors At Large. Other leadership roles, including the Chair, Vice-Chair, and NSGC Board Liaison positions, can exist within the following committees:

Access & Service Delivery Committee Annual Conference Program Committee Education Committee Finance Committee Marketing & Communications Workgroup Membership Committee Nominating Committee Outcomes Committee Practice Guidelines Committee Public Policy Committee Other groups within the NSGC include the Ethics Advisory Group, the Jane Engelberg Memorial Fellowship (JEMF) Advisory Group, and the Audrey Heimler Special Projects Award Committee. NSGC leadership positions are volunteer roles obtained through member voting, appointment, or self-nomination, depending on the position. There are several Special Interest Groups (SIG) that provide a smaller group setting for education, consultation, and activity within a specific clinical subspecialty such as Cancer, Cardiovascular, Prenatal, and Public Health.

Policy and Publications NSGC advocates on a number of issues related to genetic counseling including support and strategic guidance for state licensure, federal efforts on improving services and professional standing, awareness on cultural competency, as well as various workforce initiatives. NSGC also maintains a variety of publications regarding the profession and practice of genetic counseling:

Journal of Genetic Counseling: the official peer-reviewed journal of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, available nationally and internationally.[1] Practice guidelines (published since 2015): NSGC practice guidelines are developed by author groups composed of NSGC members and other content experts. Each guideline is based on systematic evidence review. Once approved, practice guidelines are published in peer-reviewed journals. Links to the guidelines will appear here once the guidelines are published. Practice Guidelines (published prior to 2015): documents published prior to 2015 as 'practice guidelines' have not gone through the systematic evidence review that is now required by NSGC. These documents include: Cancer predisposition evaluation Consanguinity (Reaffirmed 2014) Human pedigree nomenclature Practice resources: documents that focus on topics of clinical interest, but do not meet NSGC's criteria to be classified as evidence-based Practice Guidelines. These include: Alzheimer Disease Cystic Fibrosis Down Syndrome Fabry Disease Fragile X Syndrome Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prenatal Screening Position Statements: reflect concrete applications of the Society’s Code of Ethics and other official documents [2], are reviewed and updated regularly via membership review and board approval. Professional Status Survey: results offer an inside view of the profession, including salary ranges, benefits, work environments, faculty status, and even job satisfaction.[3] Perspectives in Genetic Counseling: a member-only digital magazine with articles of interest to NSGC members. Patient resource website: Genetic counseling-focused web resource developed and maintained by the National Society of Genetic Counselors for use by the public. [4] NSGC provides an online resource for patients and the lay community to learn more about genetic disease and genetic counselors through a Patient Resource Site and the NSGC Blog.

Continuing Education Continuing education enables genetic counselors to remain current about new technologies and testing modalities, and about relevant psychosocial, ethical, and legal implications. Typically, genetic counselors require a certain number of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to keep their certification/licensure active. NSGC has numerous continuing education programs for genetic counselors through the provision of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in courses and conferences. CEUs earned through NSGC-approved educational opportunities are accepted by the American Board of Genetic Counseling for purposes of Genetic Counselor recertification. The NSGC Annual Conference, usually held in the fall in a U.S. city, typically offers a certain number of CEUs each year. The conference covers a variety of topics applicable to genetic counselors in a variety of specialties, as well as other healthcare providers. The conference is open to NSGC members, as well as non-members. The 2021 Annual Conference will be held in New Orleans, LA, on September 22–26. NSGC also offers an Online Education Center with professional courses on topics including Business of Healthcare, Clinical Skills, ELSI and Policy Issues, Professional Development, Technology, and past Conference Recordings.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with National Society of Genetic Counselors

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what National Society of Genetic Counselors claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to National Society of Genetic Counselors before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about National Society of Genetic Counselors ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of National Society of Genetic Counselors

In research: National Society of Genetic Counselors appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses National Society of Genetic Counselors in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: National Society of Genetic Counselors is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Genetics societies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for National Society of Genetic Counselors outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study National Society of Genetic Counselors in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what National Society of Genetic Counselors means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain National Society of Genetic Counselors out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is National Society of Genetic Counselors in simple terms?

Why does National Society of Genetic Counselors matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study National Society of Genetic Counselors?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on National Society of Genetic Counselors.