title: International genetic counseling students' perspective on their training experience in the United States.
abstract: International students face social, psychological and academic challenges upon moving to a foreign country to pursue higher education. Clinical disciplines such as genetic counseling present additional challenges adapting to an unfamiliar health care system and different interactions and expectations with patients and colleagues. This study used semi-structured interviews to identify challenges that international genetic counseling students face during training in the United States. Eight international genetic counseling alumni who graduated from U.S.-accredited programs were interviewed. Participants stated that the U.S. academic system was unfamiliar-class participation and paper-writing required the greatest adjustment. There was a need for help in understanding social norms in academic settings. Clinically, they were unfamiliar with the dynamics and communication style of U.S. families. Non-native English speakers experienced greater difficulty in all areas. Most participants reported that they were uncomfortable asking for help in transitioning to life, study and work. Participants identified mentorship programs for international students as potentially useful in clarifying expectations in academic and clinical settings. These results may assist international students preparing to study genetic counseling in the U.S. and may help genetic counseling training programs identify the academic and clinical challenges faced by international students.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, marta.sabbadini@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabbadini
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naldi
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Packman
authors.forename: Janey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Youngblom
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weil
mesh_terms: D004517:Education, Professional; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce
references.citation: J Transcult Nurs. 2008 Apr;19(2):140-50
references.pmid: 18174373
references.citation: J Nurs Educ. 2001 May;40(5):210-6
references.pmid: 11355759
references.citation: J Nurs Educ. 2005 May;44(5):209-15
references.pmid: 15916024
references.citation: J Nurs Educ. 1993 May;32(5):227-9
references.pmid: 8388943
references.citation: J Genet Couns. 2010 Feb;19(1):7-8
references.pmid: 19816760
references.citation: J Prof Nurs. 1998 Mar-Apr;14(2):69-77
references.pmid: 9549208
references.citation: Contemp Nurse. 2007 May-Jun;25(1-2):63-71
references.pmid: 17622990
references.citation: J Transcult Nurs. 2005 Jul;16(3):263-8
references.pmid: 15980054
references.citation: J Transcult Nurs. 2005 Apr;16(2):155-62
references.pmid: 15764639
references.citation: J Contin Educ Nurs. 2003 Mar-Apr;34(2):72-7
references.pmid: 12675326
references.citation: J Prof Nurs. 1998 Jan-Feb;14(1):34-42
references.pmid: 9473902
references.citation: J Prof Nurs. 2002 Jul-Aug;18(4):206-13
references.pmid: 12244539
references.citation: J Genet Couns. 2003 Jun;12(3):199-211
references.pmid: 14682354