Am I Sure About This?
By Meagan Farmer, Class of 2012
Am I sure about this? I have asked myself this question fairly often since deciding on a career in genetic counseling. I had always planned to go medical school. In my pre-medical track at USF, I took a course on biomedical ethics and found the issues surrounding genetic information disclosure especially interesting. I decided to focus my thesis on this subject and learned about genetic counseling in the process. Before long, I wondered if genetic counseling might be a better fit for me than being a physician. That wasn’t the plan, though. I had to ask, “Am I sure about this?”
I was. I was ecstatic to be accepted into the genetic counseling program at UNCG, my top choice. The coursework, clinical rotations, and capstone project were challenging and rewarding. My career began to take shape before I left Greensboro. I was especially drawn to cancer genetic counseling and wondered if a summer internship in the area might be helpful. I applied for the Yale Cancer Genetic Counseling Fellowship, but I didn’t bet on being selected. When I was, I wondered if I was ready to spend the entire summer in New Haven, taking part in every aspect of patient care, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00. I had to ask, “Am I sure about this?”
I was. The fellowship was the cornerstone of my clinical cancer genetics training, and it confirmed that I wanted to work in this area. I felt ready for the job search. I applied and interviewed for a clinical genetic counseling position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. UAB is a powerhouse in both genetics and cancer care. UAB also has a genetic counseling training program. This meant that if I was offered and accepted the job, I would have a busy schedule seeing patients that travel from all over the southeast and would potentially be working with students within a year. I was offered the position and realized that it would be a challenging first job. I had to ask, “Am I sure about this?”
I was. I started at UAB in 2012 and worked in cancer, prenatal, and adult genetics. At first, students observed me, and with time I became a primary supervisor. Given my interest in cancer genetics, I eventually focused in this area and was appointed the Director of Cancer Genetic Counseling. As we worked to increase access to cancer genetic counseling in the southeast, I expanded our telemedicine program. I started teaching the Cancer and Adult Genetic Counseling course for the UAB Genetic Counseling Training Program. I also supervised Medical Genetics residents and worked with Dr. Nathaniel Robin to develop clinical competencies for the residents in cancer genetics. When the UAB representative serving on the NCCN panel on Genetic/Familial High Risk Assessment in the area of breast and ovarian cancer stepped down, I replaced her. I now get to discuss and revise national guidelines with clinicians from across the country that are the best of the best. All of these opportunities arose within the first three years of my career. Each time, I had to ask, “Am I sure about this?”
I was. I was sure because I had a strong foundation thanks to my training and the connections that I made through the UNCG Genetic Counseling program. Program leadership, instructors, and supervisors were phenomenal, and I still consider my classmates some of my best friends. It was even a UNCG alum, Katie Farmer, that first showed me the ropes as a new genetic counselor. The moral of the story is that if you’re a first year student wondering if you’re ready for an internship, a second year student considering a challenging first job, or a relatively new grad considering a demanding professional opportunity, you’re ready, for all of the reasons that I have been.