The NSGC Professional Status Survey (PSS) is released every two years and offers an inside view of the profession, including salary ranges, benefits, work environments, faculty status and job satisfaction.
The executive summary can be found here.
Quick Summary: The future is bright!
Quick Stats:
✓Genetic Counselor was highlighted as a biology job for science lovers in a December 2018 article published by U.S. News and World Report.
✓ The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth rate of 29% for genetic counseling positions over the years 2016 to 2026. This exceeds the projected growth rate of 18% over the same period for all healthcare occupations.
✓ Genetic counselors work in a variety of settings, including university medical centers, private and public hospitals/medical facilities, diagnostic laboratories, health maintenance organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and government organizations and agencies.
✓ Genetic counselors can work in multiple areas of practice, including prenatal, cardiology, cancer, metabolic disease, neurology, pediatrics, infertility, pharmacogenetics, genomic medicine, and others.
✓ Increasing demands for genetic expertise in varied fields provides genetic counselors new ways of using their training in genetic counseling. These include working in administration, research, public and professional education, educational content development and editing, public health, laboratory support, public policy, and consulting.
✓ The average salary for a full-time genetic counselor is $91,318 USD3 but can reach up to $247,000 USD depending on specialty area and experience.
✓ Ninety-eight percent of genetic counselors have a Master’s degree in human genetics or genetic counseling.
✓ Nine out of ten genetic counselors report they are satisfied with their current job.
✓ The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), founded in 1979, promotes the professional interests of genetic counselors and provides a network for professional communications. As of 2019, NSGC has over 4,000 members.
✓ The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) is a not-for-profit organization incorporated in 1993 for the purpose of certifying and recertifying genetic counselors. As of the date of this survey, ABGC has nearly 5,000 certified genetic counselors, an increase of 68% over the number of certified genetic counselors in 2009.
✓ The Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) accredits genetic counseling training programs. As of May 2019, there are 45 accredited training programs in the U.S. and Canada.
maps & genes 