Student Experiences with Telemedicine

Telemedicine allows patients to have visits with providers from a different physical location, often using video technology through a computer. While telemedicine was already being used by some genetic counselors, it has suddenly become the preferred method in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our second-year students gained some experience with telemedicine this past year during their clinical rotations; we are fortunate to have this opportunity. In this blog, some of our students write about their experiences with telemedicine.

I had the opportunity to participate in telegenetics counseling sessions during my cancer rotation at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital.  Magee provides counseling to patients at several different telemedicine sites, and each of them have unique features, so it was beneficial for me as a student to see what worked well in some clinics and didn’t work so well in others.  These sessions were facilitated by a specially trained nurse that would call the patients to obtain their family history and then forward it to the counselor and student to prepare relevant risk assessment and counseling materials.  This nurse was also present in-person with the patient during the counseling session, and assisted the counselor by facilitating the use of visual aids.  As a student, I learned that even though we are counseling via video, a genetic counselor can provide active listening skills and empathy to the patient.  

-Lauren Winter

I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in telemedicine cases during multiple clinical rotations, and I felt that these particular cases allowed to me to improve my counseling skills. Not seeing a patient in person means that you need to be ready to be attentive to patient cues and needs that might present a bit differently than what you’re used to experiencing in person. Telemedicine was important in learning how to modify some of my explanations and counseling interventions in order to support patients via telemedicine in some of the same ways I can in person. With increasing use and availability of different telemedicine technology, I think that telemedicine will continue to be used in many aspects of healthcare, and we will all likely use telemedicine at some point in our future careers. Telemedicine can be an efficient way to see patients, and importantly, to increase access to services for patients who may live in remote areas or cannot travel to an in-person location for their appointment.   

-Alyson Evans

I think the past few weeks have shown us all that telemedicine is an important and effective way to deliver services to people when meeting in person just isn’t possible. Going into my first telemedicine session, I was both nervous and excited. I was excited because it was a new type of counseling for me that I have no doubt I will use in my career, and I had the opportunity to try it out with supervisors who routinely use telemedicine. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure about how I would need to change my counseling to fit the telemedicine setting, or if I would miss psychosocial cues from my patients. The transition between in-person counseling and telemedicine was much smoother than I expected. The patients seemed comfortable meeting this way and some mentioned that it was a relief to not have to make the hours-long drive to be seen in-person. Telemedicine will be an important public health tool in expanding access to care and removing barriers to genetic counseling. I’m  glad I had these experiences during my training. 

-Vickie Bacon

I’ve been fortunate to participate in telegenetic counseling sessions during my training at Pitt in prenatal, pediatric, and cancer settings. While learning to use technology to counsel patients required some getting used to for both me and the patients, the benefits of telemedicine are clear. This technology increases access to genetic counseling and allows counselors to provide expertise to remote or underserviced areas. Access is an important consideration now more than ever as recent global events have illustrated. Telemedicine allows for the continued care of our patients during a time where physical distancing is required.

-Rose Venier

I counseled patients via telemedicine during my cancer rotation, and am grateful for the experience; I think as we work to increase access to genetics services, telemedicine will only become more important. The process was much smoother than I anticipated, mostly because the counselor I was working with had many tips and tricks. For instance, she set the computer at the ideal angle so that when I looked at the screen, the patient felt I was looking directly at them. There was an experienced nurse on the other end sitting with the patient, who showed them our visuals in person and was an immense help. Because there is a shortage of geneticists and genetic counselors, many patients end up traveling several hours to their nearest city to have a genetics visit. That kind of travel is especially difficult for someone undergoing cancer treatment, having a tough pregnancy, or raising a child with special needs. I imagine telemedicine will only become more widely used after this pandemic is over.

-Claire McDonald