Advice for First Year Students

Our new first year students started classes this week. The second years are excited to welcome them. Here is some advice from students who were recently in their shoes.

Graduate school is a lot of work. It’s stressful, overwhelming, and takes time away from other aspects of life. Everybody takes it at their own pace. It can be easy to compare yourself to others and feel like you’re not doing enough, but 'enough’ is relative. It can also be easy to feed into other people’s anxieties, especially when you spend so much time together. If you need to split off from the group and do your own thing for a while, that’s cool. Sometimes you only have enough capacity to deal with just your own anxiety. The bottom line is: the work will get done. The things will be learned. Everything will be fine. You’ll be fine.

Self-care is incredibly important!  During grad school, you learn a lot and do a lot in a very short amount of time. However you study/learn best is your choice, but make sure that you are still nurturing the other parts of you that make you happy, whether that be a workout routine, cooking/ baking, a weekly podcast, you name it.  If it’s your thing, you will feel so much better having made time to do it.  It’s okay not to attend every optional lecture, conference, and happy hour if it’s not going to fit into your schedule.

The most surprising challenge of the first year was the urge to compare myself to my classmates. In undergrad, I never had a small group of people in all of my classes, and rarely had more than one class at a time with a good friend. There are so many things to be working on, it’s easy to panic when someone mentions an assignment you haven’t started yet. Try to remember that everyone does things in a different order at different times. You were successful in undergrad, so you know which strategies work for you. Remember that your classmates have a wide diversity of experiences; use that to your advantage by helping each other. Finally, make a conscious effort to set aside time for doing things unrelated to school. There is always something more you could be working on, but everybody needs a break. Good luck!

Don’t forget who you are.  You are unique, smart, and worthy of being here in your own right.  Everyone has different backgrounds, different interests, and different things they find stressful, whether that’s school, moving to a new city, or any other thing life will throw at you.  There are so many resources for you to help you along the way, like your classmates, the second years, Robin and Andrea, and the greater Pitt community as a whole. As stressful as grad school can get, don’t let it take away all the reasons you came here! Stay humble, try your best, and use everything you’re given to make yourself a better genetic counselor.  So much of what we do is based on our ability to connect with others, so let your personality and excitement shine through everyday.

Welcome to Pitt! Remember that your time here is what you make of it. There’s obviously information and skills that you will need to learn before you graduate, but you’re ultimately in control of your own experience over these next two years. If there’s a specific aspect of genetics that you’re interested in learning more about, or a certain experience that you’re interested in, make sure to ask and voice that interest! The knowledge and experiences that you take with you when you graduate and start your career will be directly related to the effort you put in during your time in the program.

You've done it! Congrats on being accepted to Pitt to pursue a degree in genetic counseling - in my opinion, it's a pretty great degree. You've put in the work so far, don't stop now. Take in as much as you can and have fun!

Be confident! Instead of beating yourself up remember that you are here for a reason. Everyone starts from square one, even the most experienced counselors. You will all do amazing!

-The Class of 2020

 

Student Experience: National Down Syndrome Convention

One of my favorite aspects of the Pitt Genetic counseling Program is the wide array of clinical opportunities we receive during our rotations. From cancer, pediatric, and prenatal genetics to more unique experiences like primary care, we basically see it all. On top of that, each student has the opportunity to choose an “optional” rotation which consists of an experience of her/his choice. The Down syndrome community is near and dear to my heart and played a major role in sparking my interest in genetics many years ago. I was therefore thrilled when I had the privilege of completing my optional rotation earlier this summer with the Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylvania.

The Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylvania works with individuals with Down syndrome and their families by providing health care, information, and other resources. The clinic works alongside other local and national groups to provide specialty care and support for these families. A key national organization is a non-profit called the National Down Syndrome Congress. As luck would have it, the National Down Syndrome Congress was hosting their Annual Convention in Pittsburgh during my optional rotation!

On the weekend of June 27^th-30^th, thousands of people from all across the world gathered at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. Attendees included self-advocates with Down syndrome, families, professionals, and other community members. The Annual Convention is often described as a “giant family reunion” and I can attest to the fact that it felt like exactly that.

I had the opportunity of attending the Convention as a volunteer for the Youth & Adults Conference, which is an empowering experience for individuals with Down syndrome aged 15 and older. The Youth & Adults Conference consists of a packed schedule of special activities and events every day. On my first day volunteering, I was assigned to a group of eight self-advocates with Down syndrome. I spent the entire weekend with the group participating in activities, attending workshops, and even going to dance parties! I arrived at the Convention not knowing exactly what to expect and left with eight new friends. This experience provided me with an invaluable opportunity to interact with a truly special community of individuals. Reflecting on the weekend ultimately allowed me to appreciate the importance of immersing myself in the populations I will work with throughout my genetic counseling career. After all, what initially presented itself as a fun weekend ultimately became one of the most pivotal learning experiences I have had in the program thus far.

If you ever find yourself in a city hosting the National Down Syndrome Congress Annual Convention, I highly recommend signing up for an experience that I promise you will never forget. I just might have to take a trip to New Orleans for the 48^th Annual Convention in 2020!

Stephanie Betts, class of 2020

Student Work Position: NYMAC Regional Genetics Network Graduate Student Worker

As many of my classmates have posted previously, Pitt’s Genetic Counseling program provides us with the great opportunity to have a part-time student work position while enrolled in the program. Not only is this beneficial from a financial standpoint while in graduate school, but also allows us to learn more outside of the classroom and clinic settings, and in many cases, provides a basis for our thesis projects.   

For my student work position, I am a graduate student worker for the NYMAC Regional Genetics Network. The U.S. is made up of seven regional genetics networks, with a joint goal of improving access to genetics services. “NYMAC” is the New York Mid-Atlantic Consortium, the Regional Genetics Network which includes Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D. C. 

NYMAC aims to improve access to and awareness of relevant genetic services in the region, with broad goals that include: Increasing the number of individuals receiving genetic services in the region, including medically underserved populations; education of primary care providers and increase in the number of providers utilizing NYMAC resources; and improving access to genetic services within the region, including the use of telemedicine. 

In order to meet some of these goals, NYMAC has implemented the Genetic Services Referral Phone Line, which I spend part of my time staffing. The phone line is open to anyone and was created in order to improve access to genetic services and assist individuals or healthcare providers in finding genetic services in their area. When someone calls in, we use a regional directory and can provide the caller with information for genetics clinics based on their location and type of services needed, including sites which offer telemedicine and may be closer to the caller’s home. When staffing the call center, we aren’t able to provide callers with medical advice or other direct support; however, individuals with questions about a specific conditions are referred to GARD (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center) and individuals looking for support for themselves or their family are referred to appropriate regional family support resources.

With an additional goal of educating primary care providers about genetics, NYMAC, and NYMAC resources, another part of my role as a NYMAC graduate student worker includes developing educational materials. I recently helped develop and finalize “When to Refer” documents. These documents outline some helpful guidelines for primary care or other healthcare providers to assist them in identifying patients who may benefit from a genetics referral. These documents have been published on the NYMAC website for cancer (https://www.wadsworth.org/cancer-referrals) and pediatric genetics referrals (https://www.wadsworth.org/pediatric-referrals), and I’ve been working to develop more “When to Refer” documents as well. 

In addition to the phone line and educational material development, my role allows me to participate in regular NYMAC conference calls, discussing the phone line, goals, and additional projects. I was also recently able to be involved in a presentation to a regional family group about genetic counseling and NYMAC, and attended the NYMAC Steering Committee meeting in Washington, D.C. last fall.

This position has been integral in helping me build my genetic counseling skill set, helping me learn some helpful ways to provide information and education to both patients and other healthcare providers. From both genetic counseling and public health standpoints, this position allows me to be a part of efforts to improve access to genetic services, an experience which will be invaluable to me as a future genetic counselor. I’m excited to continue working with the NYMAC team over the next year!

Alyson Evans, Class of 2020