Genetic Counselors

Assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. Provide information to other healthcare providers or to individuals and families concerned with the risk of inherited conditions. Advise individuals and families to support informed decisionmaking and coping methods for those at risk. May help conduct research related to genetic conditions or genetic counseling.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Writing
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Active Learning
Social Perceptiveness
Complex Problem Solving

Key knowledge

Biology
Therapy and Counseling
Psychology
Medicine and Dentistry
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Education and Training
Mathematics

What the work involves

Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes.
Explain diagnostic procedures such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS), ultrasound, fetal blood sampling, and amniocentesis.
Provide genetic counseling in specified areas of clinical genetics, such as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology and neurology.
Assess patients' psychological or emotional needs, such as those relating to stress, fear of test results, financial issues, and marital conflicts to make referral recommendations or assist patients in managing test outcomes.
Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance.
Determine or coordinate treatment plans by requesting laboratory services, reviewing genetics or counseling literature, and considering histories or diagnostic data.
Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions.
Interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Social, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (90.5% of respondents)
Related experience: None (57.1%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (33.3%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Genetic Counselors is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	High	Higher on contact with others than 66% of occupations compared	67% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Very high	Higher on dealing with the public than 88% of occupations compared	57% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 86% of occupations compared	67% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	High	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 60% of occupations compared	57% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Higher on time pressure than 52% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 65% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	High	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 67% of occupations compared	33% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 78% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions