HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children Crumlin, Dublin 1
Telephone (01) 409 6716
Fax (01) 409 6216
Quality Care in
A Safe Setting
JOB DESCRIPTION
GENETIC COUNSELLOR
(WITH AN INTEREST IN CANCER GENETICS)
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR MEDICAL GENETICS
OUR LADY’S HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN, CRUMLIN
Closing date:
Friday 2nd September 2005
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Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children is committed to providing family-centred health care in a
compassionate and supportive environment, where each child receives the highest standards of
healthcare
JOB DESCRIPTION
TITLE:
Genetic Counsellor (with an interest in cancer genetics)
REPORTING TO:
Director of National Centre for Medical Genetics or his/her
nominee
SALARY SCALE:
€51,814 - €60,962 per annum
(7 Point Scale)
WORKING HOURS:
35 hours per week
WORKING WEEK:
Hours of attendance will be determined by the Director of
National Centre for Medical Genetics. You may be
required to work outside core working hours and/or
weekends in accordance with service needs.
LOCATION:
The National Centre for Medical Genetics is currently
based on the Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children site in
Crumlin. During the course of your employment, the
Centre may be relocated to another site either on a
temporary or permanent basis. Should this happen you will
be required to transfer to the Centre’s new location.
This post will be based in the National Centre for Medical
Genetics, which is currently located in Crumlin, Dublin 12.
The post holder will also be required to attend district
clinics throughout the Republic, and occasionally undertake
home visits to patients and relatives.
HOLIDAYS:
The Hospital’s holiday year runs from January to
December inclusive and the annual leave entitlement is 25
days.
SICK LEAVE:
The Hospital’s sick leave scheme will apply.
PROBATION:
This appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion
of a 12 month probationary period. Termination of
employment during the probationary period shall be at the
sole discretion of the Hospital. In certain circumstances this
probationary period may be extended. If you are promoted
and you do not fulfil the requirements of the job, you will
revert to your original position or an alternative position at
the same level as the original grade.
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August 2005
CONFIDENTIALITY:
You will have access to various types of
records/information in the course of your work. Such
records and information are strictly confidential and unless
acting on the instruction of an authorised person, on no
account must information concerning staff, patients or other
Hospital business be divulged or discussed except in the
performance of normal duty. In addition, records may
never be left in such a manner that unauthorised persons
can obtain access to them and must be kept in safe custody
when no longer required.
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August 2005
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:
Candidates must, on the latest date for receiving completed application forms for the
post, possess
(a)
Approved Master of Science degree in genetic counselling AND completion of a
counselling course (of at least 120 guided learning hours) with supervision.
Or
(b)
Relevant first degree (e.g. Nursing or biological science)
and
Appropriate professional qualification (e.g. Nursing, midwifery, social work)
and
A minimum of two years professional clinical experience in genetics.
and
Completion of a counselling course (of at least 120 guided learning hours) with
supervision.
JOB PURPOSE
To contribute to the provision of a comprehensive, high quality, specialist genetic
counselling service for the Republic of Ireland. To ensure that families referred receive a
service which is scientifically and diagnostically up-to-date as well as caring in it’s
approach.
To carry out the duties and responsibilities of a genetic counsellor with the aim of helping
patients and families:
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Comprehend the medical facts, including the diagnosis, probable course of the
disorder and the available management;
Appreciate the way heredity contributes to the disorder, and the risk of recurrence
in specified relatives;
Understand the options ( including genetic testing) for dealing with the risk;
Choose the course of action most appropriate for them;
Make the best possible adjustment to the disorder / risk of the disorder.
To contribute to professional education and training.
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August 2005
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical
1. See patients and their families in clinics at the National Centre for Medical
Genetics or district clinics elsewhere in the Republic, or in their own homes as
appropriate.
2. Provide autonomous genetic counselling (including cancer risk assessment) in
genetics counsellor clinics, conferring where necessary with more senior
genetics counsellors and consultant clinical geneticists.
3. Co-ordinate specific district clinics including liaison with local referring
clinicians and outpatient staff.
4. Contribute to consultant genetics counsellor clinics to ensure their
effectiveness and efficiency as well as continuity of care for families referred.
5. Contribute to provision of genetic counselling on an annual basis for extended
families on the Regional Genetics Register.
6. Provide pre-symptomatic genetic counselling on an annual basis with agreed
guidelines.
7. Arrange screening investigations by referral to radiology, surgical and other
relevant services.
8. Order genetics tests as clinically appropriate and according to agreed
guidelines.
9. Arrange relevant prenatal diagnostic tests, (and when requested, termination
of pregnancy following abnormal results) including liaison with obstetric,
midwifery and laboratory colleagues to ensure continuity of care for patients.
10. Endeavour to achieve for all families seen a good understanding of the
genetics information and the best possible adjustment to the presence of
genetic disease in their family.
11. Refer patients to relevant patient-led organisations, and other support services.
12. Phlebotomy in the genetic clinic and in patients’ homes.
13. Ensure that the views of patients, or those speaking on their behalf, are well
received; and that complaints, both formal and informal, are received
courteously and dealt with promptly according to Trust guidelines.
14. Maintain confidentiality of information about patients, staff and other health
service business.
15. Dictate and send detailed, personalised clinic summary letter to patients and
their doctors.
16. Dictate and send letters to referring doctors and other professionals related to
individual patient and extended family members’ care.
17. Communicate complex genetic information in a way which is comprehensible
to families.
18. Give normal, uncertain, and abnormal test results to patients and health care
professionals.
19. Elicit the concerns and expectations of patients and relatives.
20. Elicit and accurately document detailed family history information.
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August 2005
21. Expertly communicate highly sensitive and potentially distressing information
to patients and relatives, (aged from late childhood to elderly), about their
genetic status with implications for biological and social family relationships.
22. Advise on factors that can influence risk (e.g. use of high folic acid in
pregnancy, cancer screening and prevention)
23. Communicate with, and support, patients who are recently bereaved including
patients and family members.
24. Use counselling skills to facilitate decisions making and promote adjustment
in patients and family members.
25. Use specialised counselling skills to communicate sensitively in the presence
of language, cultural or ethical issues (including patients with learning
difficulties or psychiatric disorders).
26. Identify and respond to emerging issues for the patient or family, over an
open-ended time period.
27. Manage conflict when patients’ demands are incompatible ti professional
responsibilities and resources.
28. Liaise with laboratory colleagues to communicate clinical information
necessary to ensure appropriate genetic testing is carried out and to discuss
complex test results that are difficult to interpret.
29. Facilitate communication between medical, genetic counsellors, clerical and
laboratory staff within the department to ensure the best possible service to
families.
30. Maintain effective communication with professionals – e.g medical, nursing,
and social work – throughout the department, both for the benefit of
individual families as well as to promote general awareness of the genetics
counselling service.
31. Liaise regionally, nationally and internationally with other genetics centres
laboratories, and a range of clinical departments (including foetal medicine,
obstetrics, paediatrics, surgery, histopathology) to obtain and provide
information.
32. Ensure the best possible standard of work by applying scientific and clinical
understanding and counselling expertise to unique clinical situations.
33. Confirm diagnostic information from clinical records.
34. Interpret highly complex and possibly conflicting genetics test results.
35. Calculate risks for a range of genetic disorders, including carrier risks,
recurrence risks for pregnancy, and risk of becoming infected, for patients and
their relatives. This can involve making decisions where expert opinion differs
or where limited information is available.
36. Identify and assess the relevance of new scientific information for patients and
their relatives, over time.
37. Identify and manage conflict within families created by sensitive genetics
information.
38. Assess patients to determine where there is a need for specialist therapeutic
counselling or psychiatric assessment, and make appropriate referrals.
39. Prioritise work, particularly assessing the urgency of clinical work.
40. Maintain a full and accurate record of clinical work undertaken (including
pedigrees, telephone and home visit reports, correspondence and other notes)
in both manual and computerised records and preserve their confidentiality.
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August 2005
41. Search external information databases to access up to date scientific and
clinical information relevant to patient care.
42. Employ the methods, procedures and approach established within the
department but also to aim to improve procedures for the benefit of the
service.
43. Attend weekly departmental clinical meetings to participate in discussion and
feedback on clinical cases.
44. Undertake an equitable proportion of the total genetics counsellors’ workload
whilst maintaining an appropriate quality of work.
45. Take responsibility for his/her own work, conferring where necessary with
more senior genetic counsellors, clinical geneticists and laboratory colleagues
to assess the appropriateness and range of clinical contact and investigations
to be undertaken.
46. Discuss cases with ethical complexity with colleagues where appropriate.
47. Undertake any other duties within the context of this job description and
appropriate to the grade of the post, necessary for the changing needs of an
effective and efficient patient service.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
48. Participate in the teaching of genetics to medical students, medical, nursing
and other health care professionals and members of the public.
49. Assist in the day-to-day training of less experienced staff and students as
appropriate.
50. Share in fulfilling the departmental teaching/lecture commitments.
PLANNING, POLICY & SERVICE DEVELOPMENT
51. Co-ordinate specific cases including identification of individuals at risk,
annual review and screening, follow-up clinics and ongoing support.
52. Enter appropriate information on the database, and update this information
after annual reviews.
53. Act as an information resource on genetics for primary and secondary care
colleagues.
54. Use in-house databases to access and up date patient information.
55. Occasionally create databases or spreadsheets.
56. Record and circulate summaries of meetings on a pro rata basis.
57. Propose changes to working practices within the genetic clinic, for the benefit
of patients and staff.
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August 2005
RESEARCH
58. Contribute to departmental research.
59. Contribute to design and implementation of audit of clinical genetics to
maintain clinical governance and audit profile of department.
60. Present findings of research, audit and clinical practice regionally, nationally,
or intentionally.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
61. Demonstrate a commitment to achieving and maintaining professional
registration.
62. Aim to improve the service by continuously updating his/her knowledge of
the scientific, medical and psychological aspects of Clinical Genetics.
63. Take personal responsibility for continuing professional development
64. Attend departmental seminars/teaching sessions and national meetings.
65. Access counselling supervision to enable reflective practice and requirement
of professional registration and continuing professional development.
GENERAL
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Liaise with Partnership Co-ordinator and Partnership Committee
Participate fully with the hospital’s Accreditation Programme and the “Hospital
Watch Programme”.
Adhere to Department and all Hospital policies at all times.
Embrace and support any changes in technology and to assist in the
implementation and operation of these changes.
You will be required to be completely flexible in relation to the performance of
your duties.
Perform such other duties appropriate to the post as may be assigned from time to
time by the Manager or a nominee.
These duties and responsibilities are a reflection of the present service requirements and may
be subject to review and amendment to meet the changing needs of the service.
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August 2005