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01-12-2010 | Original Research

“It’s Challenging on a Personal Level”—Exploring the ‘Lived Experience’ of Australian and Canadian Prenatal Genetic Counselors

Authors: Melody A. Menezes, Jan M. Hodgson, Margaret A. Sahhar, MaryAnne Aitken, Sylvia A. Metcalfe

Published in: Journal of Genetic Counseling | Issue 6/2010

Abstract

Prenatal genetic counselors work with clients who are at risk of having a child with a fetal anomaly, or who have been diagnosed with a fetal anomaly. This can raise challenging ethical, moral and legal issues for both clients and counselors. Few studies have explored whether this type of work impacts on genetic counselors themselves. Interviews were conducted with 15 prenatal genetic counselors, five from Toronto, Canada and ten from Melbourne, Australia. A qualitative approach was used to allow for an in-depth exploration of the experiences of genetic counselors working in the prenatal setting. While participants reported that working in a prenatal setting affected them in several ways, this paper focuses on one particular unanticipated finding—that of the impact experienced by counselors from both countries while working when pregnant.

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Title: “It’s Challenging on a Personal Level”—Exploring the ‘Lived Experience’ of Australian and Canadian Prenatal Genetic Counselors
Authors: Melody A. Menezes
Jan M. Hodgson
Margaret A. Sahhar
MaryAnne Aitken
Sylvia A. Metcalfe
Publication date: 01-12-2010
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Genetic Counseling / Issue 6/2010
Print ISSN: 1059-7700
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3599
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10897-010-9315-z

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