Introductory Internship (Winter, Year 1)

The purpose of the internship during the first year is for students to begin to apply what they have learned during their course work to the clinical setting. Students will be required to spend approximately 8 hours each week at a variety of clinical sites and workshops. 

During the internship, students will be expected to:

• Observe and start to perform a variety of genetic counseling tasks including researching genetic conditions, reviewing medical records, obtaining histories, taking pedigrees, recognizing psychosocial patient responses, and providing patient education on basic genetics concepts.
• Recognize how genetic services are provided in a variety of settings using different service delivery models
• Appreciate the natural history of a variety of genetic conditions and the lived experiences of patients

Clinical Experiences:

• 6 weeks working with genetic counselors in one clinic setting. See Formal Clinical Internships for examples of placements.
• Telephone genetic counseling for preimplantation genetic diagnosis at Cooper Genomics.
• Breast Cancer Multidisciplinary Clinic at Corewell Health East
• Center for Exceptional Families at Corewell Health East-Dearborn

Other Experiences: 

In our Research Workshop, students will be introduced to the roles of genetic counselors in research, recognize the components of a strong grant application and grant opportunities, and determine what forms they need to complete for their study IRB application. Working with their mentors, students will build on what they learned from their literature reviews to refine their study aims, further develop their study methods and instruments, and develop a research plan.

In our Laboratory Workshop, students will meet with genetic counselors practicing in laboratory settings to identify the various roles of a lab genetic counselors, delineate the genetic testing process from sample arrival in a genetic testing laboratory to results reporting, and expand their knowledge of next generation sequencing techniques, including data analysis, and variant interpretation.

 

Contact Information

Genetic Counseling Graduate Program
Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics
Wayne State University School of Medicine
2375 Scott Hall
540 E. Canfield Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201

Administrative Office:
(313) 577-6298
Fax: (313) 577-9137
Email: geneticcounseling@med.wayne.edu