Educators who want to incorporate genetics and genomics into trainee curricula, lectures, or talks to colleagues may find the resources below helpful. Core competencies in genetics can help to prioritize topic areas and the other resources can be used to augment learning.  

Core Competencies and Core Principles

All core competencies and principles were developed by multidisciplinary working groups coordinated by the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics (NCHPEG).

Core competencies for health care professionals. Genetic competencies for all healthcare professionals. Individuals and organizations may adopt these competencies as they integrate genomics content into ongoing education and program development.

Core principles in family history. Core principles that focus on the collection and basic interpretation of a medical family history in pedigree format for use in patient care and management.

Core principles in genetics. Core principles that should constitute basic instruction in genetics for those in health care.

Principles of genetics in the context of common disease. These principles are intended to guide educational efforts that address the expansion of genetics into the realm of common complex diseases.

Resources

The value of family history in the prenatal care practice. A slideset for educators on the value of family history in general prenatal care that focuses on family history collection and interpretation in prenatal case studies.

Family history core principles slide set. This slide set includes slides and notes on inheritance patterns, genetic red flags, and risk assessment. It includes cases that demonstrate these concepts.

Genetic testing methods. Enhanced e-book available for download that provides information about different genetic testing methods currently used in testing for hereditary cancer syndromes. (free)

Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues

GINA overview. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) protects individuals from the misuse of genetic information in health insurance and employment. This overview provides information about the law.

Courses

Self-directed courses can be and have been used in curricula for clinical trainees.

Collecting family history. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about asking the right questions to elicit enough information to assess family history disease risk. (free CME available)

Categorizing cancer risk. Self-directed, 15-minute online program that provides opportunity to learn and practice how to analyze family histories and classify the patients' risk into average, increased (or moderate), or high risk for cancer. (free CME available)

Using family history to inform management. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about determining appropriate management based on family history risk using available guidelines. (free CME available)

Identifying red flags and patterns that increase risk. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about Identifying genetic red flags and patterns in a family medical history that can help determine if a condition has a significant genetic contribution. (free CME available)

Pre-test decisions & counseling. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about deciding when and if genetic testing is appropriate, given the clinical and personal context. (free CME available)

Interpreting genetic testing results. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about interpreting genetic testing results within a patient’s specific context. (free CME available)

Genetic testing technology. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about weighing the benefits, risks, and limitations of different tests within specific patient contexts. (free CME available)

Genetic testing for breast cancer risk. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about evaluating how well a particular genetic test assesses breast cancer risk (clinical validity) and the potential impact of testing on patient outcomes (clinical utility). (free CME available)

Genetic testing process. Self-directed, 15-minute online program about the steps necessary to order a genetic test, including choosing a lab, informed consent, collecting a sample, and assessing insurance coverage. (free CME available)