Student Job: GCA at Magee-Women's Hospital

My name is Andrew Fazenbaker and I am a first-year Genetic Counseling student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. I also work part-time as a Genetic Counseling Assistant (GCA) in the Center for Medical Genetics and Genomics at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. I started working full-time as a GCA in January 2017 and dropped down to part-time once I started school. Even though I was full-time for only a year and a half, there was no shortage of fulfilling experiences. 

Magee-Women's Hospital

As a GCA, there is a constellation of responsibilities that support clinic operations. At Magee, those responsibilities mostly deal with prenatal and cancer genetic cases. The job is an administrative support role, so it involves a hefty amount of paperwork. Paper charts, release-of-information forms, test requisitions, faxes, letters, and more all make their way to my desk one way or another! Once it’s there, it’s my job to make sure it’s filled out properly and gets to where it needs to be, including EPIC, our electronic medical record software.

On top of that, the phone is almost always off the hook! Whether it’s to schedule an appointment, obtain a pedigree, or to initiate a patient’s insurance authorization, phone conversations are a central aspect of the job. However, face-to-face interactions are just as important. At Magee, the GCA’s tend to patients while they are in the waiting room, consent patients for Non-invasive Prenatal Testing, attend meetings, and observe counseling sessions, among other things. 

Working as a GCA has definitely kept me busy, and it has taught me a great deal about the provision of genetic counseling services. It’s the only job I can think of that immerses you in the behind-the-scenes operations of a Genetic Counseling clinic. I’ve met so many amazing counselors and support staff, who have all been invaluable mentors to me. I’ve improved both my technical knowledge and my professional skills to a degree that would be difficult for me to attain in any other context. In fact, I’m convinced my job as a GCA is the only reason I was prepared enough to make it into graduate school at all! Everybody’s journey is different, though, and there are many paths to take while striving for a career as a Genetic Counselor. 

Andrew Fazenbaker, class of 2020