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The skill sets of genetic counselors are strongly utilized in industry, as evidenced by 20% of genetic counselors reporting employment within industry in 2016. In addition, industry genetic counselors are expanding their roles, taking on new responsibilities, and creating new opportunities. These advances have impacted the profession as a whole including, but not limited to, genetic counseling training curricula, a shift back to genetic counseling directly to patients, and a growing influence of genetic counselors on industry test offerings. Industry genetic counselors and training programs are working together to address the challenges and opportunities presented by workforce changes and novel interpretations of how genetic counselors' core competencies can be utilized. Counseling of patients by industry genetic counselors has become more commonplace and addresses a need for alternate service delivery models. Industry genetic counselors often provide significant contributions to test development, education, marketing, and interpretation. Beyond these broad examples, individual industry genetic counselors have created unique niches for themselves, using their genetic counseling training combined with unique opportunities offered through industry, as illustrated by genetic counselors' various roles and responsibilities highlighted here.

Objective To assess parental perspectives on effective interventions and to summarize parents’ suggestions for health care professionals to improve the care provided to their children born with cleft lip and/or palate.Design Qualitative interviews.Setting Comprehensive craniofacial center at a Midwest pediatric hospital.Participants Seventeen parents of children under the age of 1 who were born with CL/P.Results Interventions that parents identified as effective included repetition of information, showing pictures of other children (before and after surgery), and anticipatory guidance about surgeries and their child's development. Despite the high level of satisfaction, parents expressed a desire for health care professionals to use more written and visual information, to have more contact with other parents of children born with clefts, and for health care professionals outside the Craniofacial Center to be more knowledgeable about CL/P.Conclusions Although parents of children with CL/P were for the most part satisfied with their children's care, the parents who were interviewed for this study suggested attainable changes that may result in more constructive and positive involvement of parents as integral members of the craniofacial team.

Purpose:Genetic risk assessment and counseling by a qualified genetics professional are recommended to ensure high-quality care for individuals at risk of hereditary cancer. Timely access to genetic services provided by a genetic counselor (GC) is essential, especially in cases where genetic testing results may affect impending surgical decisions.Methods:A survey of GCs who specialize in cancer genetics was performed to assess service delivery models and ability to accommodate urgent cases.Results:Over half of all respondents indicated that urgent patients can be seen for consultation the same day or within 1–2 business days, and almost all respondents indicated that urgent cases can be seen within 1 week. Most respondents indicated that urgent cases are seen by a GC only with no physician involved.Conclusions:The results of this survey of GCs demonstrate that timely access to cancer genetic counseling by GCs in an urgent setting is available.Genet Med 18 4, 410–412.

Genetic risk assessment and counseling by a qualified genetics professional are recommended to ensure high-quality care for individuals at risk of hereditary cancer. Timely access to genetic services provided by a genetic counselor (GC) is essential, especially in cases where genetic testing results may affect impending surgical decisions.