Genetic Counseling: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

Since competition drives forward the technology used by genetic counselors each scientist believes their own method is the best. Of course each method comes with their own respective advantages and disadvantages. The most common type of genetic sequencing used by counselors is called next generation sequencing (NGS). When using NGS, you are provided with the benefit of much faster and cheaper method of sequencing multiple strands of DNA. Although the benefits of NGS are helpful in some cases, it does come with disadvantages that when compared to its competitor, Sanger method, could be an issue. These disadvantages include the limited number of base pairs that can be sequenced on a given DNA strand and the fact it gives you far more knowledge …show more content…
Although these benefits have the ability to have so a huge impact on the medical field, many worry about the negatives it brings with it. The biggest concern that people have with genetic counseling is the possibility of corrupt and immoral procedures that can be performed by genetic counselors. These issues are faced by every field of medicine and with proper education, regulation, and licensure this problem is no longer an issue. Since genetic sequencing is a relatively new technology the regulations to restrict its abilities have been slow behind it. To combat little federal and state legislation and in order to keep counseling creditable The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) creates their own regulations that professionals must follow to keep their licensure. The ABGC mission statement is “To protect the public by setting certification standards and providing leadership to promote the value of certified genetic counselors” (n.d). With the number of genetic counselor growing at an exponential rate it important that they receive education on the expected regulations that they are to practice by. Most hospitals and even some states make it law requiring all practicing genetic counselors to be ABGC certified. This is great news to supporters that see the potential that genetic counseling has for our society. Although some worry about …show more content…
The uses of genetic counseling now and prospective will have a major impact on modern medicine. GC has the opportunity to open windows for all genetic disorders and lead to a personalized approach on cancer. Genetic counseling has the ability to grow into a common practice that people will go see throughout their lives and especially before having children. With the use of predictive counseling children can be kept from being born with preventable diseases. The fact is that although some worry about the insignificant connotations that accompany genetic counseling, it has the ability to become a great resource for all professionals given more research and development goes into the