Genetic Counselor 2

About the position Who we’re looking for: The UW Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology (DLMP) in Seattle, WA has a fantastic opportunity for a Genetic Counselor 2 with the Genetics Team at the University of Washington Medical Center – Montlake. As a Genetic Counselor 2, at a senior level, you will initially focus on cytogenetics, constitutional microarray analysis and cell-free DNA prenatal screen assay. You will perform test utilization management, analysis and variant interpretation, and reporting. Additionally, you will play a key role in maintaining client relations for service area of expertise. You will collaborate with a highly talented and experienced group of Genetic Counselors, Variant Scientists, lab staff, students, faculty, and fellows as part of a cross-functional team working towards a common goal of providing high-quality patient care. Bonus! As a Genetic Counselor 2, you will have the opportunity to cross-train in other clinical service areas as we expand our test menus to support more innovative and improved genomic assays. Work schedule: 100% FTE Monday – Friday Initial training is 100% onsite; one day telework per week thereafter Day shift

Responsibilities

• Client Relations Provide information, technical assistance and guidance on test availability, composition, selection, and interpretation.
• Assist with the resolution of genomic and/or cytogenetic testing issues, such as inadequate specimens, questions regarding variants, and research enrollment.
• Coordinate indicated follow-up testing for at-risk family members.
• Maintain and update patient and provider materials and webpages.
• Represent the team and department at national conferences, journal publications and/or invited presentations.
• Laboratory Operations Review genomic and cytogenetic test orders for urgency and accuracy.
• Obtain relevant patient clinical history for case review and interpretation.
• Review pending samples and build runs for the week; collaborate with laboratory and billing teams to troubleshoot issues as needed.
• Provide clinical support to billing department, including case review documentation of medical necessity, as part of the pre-authorization process.
• Compose reports with laboratory medical directors, genetic counselors, and variant review scientists.
• Review reports before release into laboratory information system and EMR.
• With lab directors or supervisor support, call out preliminary results, abnormal results, or unusual results to ordering provider, as needed. This may include recommendations for follow-up based on the results and discussion of implications of the results on other family members.
• Coordinate reflex testing and send out testing with other labs.
• Participate in laboratory’s program for analyzing variants of uncertain significance.
• Participate in scientific and quality-assurance studies and research related to the laboratory's services.
• Develop training materials and participate in training Genetic Counseling students and other members of the team.
• Administrative and Quality Improvement Operations Work with Genomic Analysis Manager to develop and update procedures and job-aids for the clinical genomic analysis (CGA) team.
• Assist in testing and/or implementing new workflows, software, and IT infrastructure updates in collaboration with partner teams.
• Participate in ongoing literature reviews to incorporate latest knowledge into the clinical classification of genes and gene variants.
• Assist with review, maintenance, and update of billing codes.
• Help develop and implement improvements in electronic reporting of test results
• Senior Genetic Counselor Responsibilities Act as a mentor/consultant to genetic counselor(s) and other members of the CGA team such as variant review scientists, genetic counseling assistants, and student assistants.
• Responsible for monitoring work quality and reporting issues to managers and directors.
• Perform analysis and variant interpretation for service area of expertise such as exome sequencing, somatic and inherited cancer panels, constitutional and neoplasia SNP array etc.
• Work with directors, variant review scientists and laboratory staff to solve complex client inquiries/issues and provides follow-up to research principal investigators.
• Serve as an expert for run building, billing and other internal processes pertinent to the assay assigned.
• Participate and/or manage research and clinical service projects to support the division goals.
• Participate, as needed, in teaching of undergraduates, graduate students, residents, and fellows.
• At the direction of the GC Lead and Genomic Analysis Manager, train and support new staff, residents, fellows, genetic counseling students and other trainees on rotation through the department.
• Represent the team and department at national conferences, journal publications and/or invited presentations.
• Serve as backup for GC Lead to assist with lead tasks including not limited to scheduling in-service for staff, schedule orientations and onboarding activities for new employees, residents, students, and other health care professionals, and submit written evaluation of staff as needed.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Genetics.
• Two (2) to three (3) years of clinical or research experience in genetics.
• At least two years of experience in a CLIA-laboratory environment collaborating with R&D, bioinformatics, laboratory technicians, clinical directors and other crucial departments in a laboratory environment.
• Strong teamwork, interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to rapidly distill concise and succinct summaries from complex and potentially contradictory literature sources.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize, and work under tight deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Board eligibility or certification by American Board of Genetic Counseling
• Licensed or eligibility for license as Genetic Counselor in Washington State
• Experience with cascade testing in families
• Experience with family history and genealogy
• Experience with Clinical cancer genetics
• Experience with next-generation sequencing-based testing
• Experience with microarray variant interpretation and reporting
• Familiarity with cell-free prenatal DNA screening
• Familiarity with cytogenetics testing

Benefits

• Vacation time and sick time off that accrue monthly, including 12 paid holidays.
• State Employee Tuition Exemption Program covering up to 6 credits of qualifying coursework per quarter at the University of Washington or other participating colleges or universities.
• Fully subsidized public transit pass (U-PASS) that covers multiple forms of public transportation in the region.
• Excellent healthcare, dental, disability, retirement, and other plan options.
• Lots of free fantastic fitness, healthy eating, finance, and stress reduction classes offered through the Whole U.

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