#138 Genetic Counseling Boards Advice

DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast

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In this episode three genetic counselors share their experience and advice taking the American Genetic Counseling Board exam.

Boards Topics Discussed:

Structuring material with a study plan

Areas to focus on including Prenatal, Metabolic, Cancer, Neuro, Cardiac, Quant, and Psych

Taking the exam in February vs August

Studying while working vs before working

Boards Course overall, price, and CEUs

Resources including “A Guide to Genetic Counseling”, NSGC Practice Guidelines, Top 100 Genetic Diseases, and more

Study groups including social media (Feb Boards 2021)

Study Tips

When studying the inheritance pattern, think which are on carrier screening to figure out if it’s autosomal recessive

Look for the unique findings for less common conditions

Look at difference between types of conditions or similar conditions

Insight on practice exam

Perspective on retaking the exam (You are not alone!)

The Panel

Ally Abbott is an American Board certified Pediatric Genetic Counselor at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Biology from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA in 2017. In undergrad, she took a seat as a senator in student government and focused on educating the campus about mental health and the stigma surrounding mental health disorders. She later founded Active Minds at LMU, a club devoted to this purpose. Ally has always loved working with kids and found a passion for children with genetic conditions while working at The Painted Turtle, a nonprofit, free-of-charge, camp for children with serious medical conditions such as skeletal dysplasia, hemophilia, metabolic disorders, and muscular dystrophy. After graduation, she moved to New York and worked in a preschool before earning her Master of Science in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY in 2020. Ally is a Phoenix native and is happy to be back in valley at PCH, where she spent her Sundays in high school volunteering. In her spare time, she likes cozying up with her cat and a good podcast as well as spending time with her family. You can keep up with Ally on her instagram.

Dani Kupperman is an American Board certified Cancer Genetic Counselor at Danbury Hospital. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Health Behavior Science and a minor in Business Administration from the University of Delaware in Newark, DE in 2016. During her undergraduate studies, she interned at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center genetic counseling clinic where she discovered her love of cancer genetics. Dani pursued her Master of Science in Genetic Counseling at Long Island University-Post in Brookville, NY in 2018. In her current role, Dani has enjoyed the pleasure of meeting with patients to help guide them through their decision making process as to whether to pursue genetic testing. She has also expanded her role to include student supervision, research, community education, participation in the hospital’s ethics committee, and is currently starting a Patient and Family Advisory committee to improve patient experience. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, attending live concerts, and binge watching the television show, “Friends”.

Kira Dineen, MS, LCGC, CG(ASCP)CM is a certified prenatal genetic counselor at Maternal Fetal Care, PC in Stamford, CT. Kira also has 10 years of online media experience in digital marketing and podcasting/radio including 5 podcasts. She started her main show “DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast” in 2012 which became a radio show in 2014. The podcast has since produced over 130 episodes interviewing experts in the field. “DNA Today” recently won the People’s Choice Podcast Awards for the Best 2020 Science and Medicine Podcast. Kira is also the host of the PhenoTips Speaker Series, a live webinar interviewing genetic experts attended by over 700 genetic counselors around the globe. She writes a monthly blog series, “Explained By A Genetic Counsellor” for Sano Genetics. Kira was selected and currently serves as a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ Digital Ambassador program (#NSGCGenePool). She received her Diagnostic Genetic Bachelor’s of Science degree at the University of Connecticut and is a certified Cytogenetic Technologist. Kira received her Master’s of Science in Human Genetics at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. You can keep up with Kira on Twitter.

For more Genetic Counseling Boards insider info, listen to Episode 126 with Adam Buchanan. He was the President of the American Board of Genetic Counseling in 2020 and shared his insight and advice on the Boards exam including taking the exam in the online format.

Stay tuned for the next new episode of DNA Today on January 15th, 2021! New episodes are released on the first and third Friday of the month. In the meantime, you can binge 137 other episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “DNA Today”.

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