ABGC Annual Spring 2015 Newsletter by AMP, Inc

ANNUAL PUBLICATION FOR THE CERTIFIED GENETIC COUNSELOR™

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2015 Board of Directors

President’s Perspective Although a relative newcomer to the allied health professions, the field of genetic counseling has accomplished an incredible amount since its inception. The formation of ABGC in 1993 was one of the profession’s significant and prescient accomplishments. As you will see in our 2015 newsletter, the current ABGC Board of Directors strives to live up to the wisdom that our predecessors demonstrated when they established ABGC.

Left to right: Sheila O’Neal, Executive Director; Sharon Aufox; Karen Powell, CEC Board Liaison; Susan Hahn, Treasurer; Stephanie Kieffer; Beth Denne, President Elect; Anne Madeo, President. Not pictured: Patricia Lambrose, Public Member.

“To protect the public by setting certification standards and providing leadership to promote the value of Certified Genetic Counselors®.” Below are some of the activities we will be engaging in over the coming year to support this mission:

Genetic Counseling Certification Eligibility Task Force – Just as the landscape in which we practice is evolving, so are the possibilities for the education and training that may qualify somebody to sit for the board examination. The goal of this task force is to ensure that eligibility to sit for the certification examination is based on sound, defensible criteria.

� ABGC is now accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)! This achievement promotes the profession’s ongoing development by demonstrating that the certification examination is fair, unbiased and meets an independently defined standard. At the same time, it raises the value of the CGC® designation as the gold standard of competent genetic counseling practice. � For details on updates to the Practice Examination, turn to page 2. � Did you know that it costs less to take the examination now than it ever has (see page 2)? � After careful review of the literature and deliberation, the Board has decided to initiate the next Practice Analysis in 2017. � To reduce the potential impact of a data breach, in 2015 ABGC will be implementing a system that no longer requires applicants or Diplomates to submit Social Security numbers.

At the same time we are pursuing these forward-looking initiatives, we are working to ensure that examination applicants and Diplomates continue to receive essential support from ABGC.

I encourage you to read our annual newsletter to see the ways in which the ABGC Board of Directors is working to ensure we continue to provide leadership to promote the value of Certified Genetic Counselors®.

� Practice Examination ��2

� Strategic Plan ��4

� From the Mailbag ��4

� ABGC Examination Fees ��2

� Professional Activity Credits (PACs):

� We Listened to You! �� 6

For five months, the Board worked to develop a strategic plan (please see page 4 for more details). As part of the process, we have rewritten our mission. Previously, our mission was focused on ABGC’s role of protecting the public by establishing standards for genetic counseling practice. While that is still an integral part of ABGC’s activities, as we look to the future, we will also be focusing on developing and leading initiatives that promote the value of Certified Genetic Counselors® (CGCs®). Specifically, ABGC’s new mission is,

Genetic Counseling CEU Task Force – The goal of this task force is to be certain that stakeholders can rely on recertification through continuing education as clear evidence a genetic counselor has maintained their competence, even as the landscape of health care, genetics and genetic counseling practice evolves.

Anne Madeo, President

� Call for Nominations for the ABGC Board ��2

Changes and Clarifications ��4

PO Box 14216 Lenexa, KS 66285

913.895.4617

www.ABGC.net

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Practice Examination 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms begin January 1 and end December 31 Anne C. Madeo, MS, CGC PRESIDENT, 2012–2016 Veterans Health Administration Office: 801-582-1565, x2933 president@ABGC.net Elizabeth W. Denne, MS, CGC PRESIDENT-ELECT, 2013–2016 Counsyl, Inc. Office: 443-718-9778 bethwooddenne@gmail.com Susan E. Hahn, MS, CGC SECRETARY/TREASURER, 2011–2015 University of Miami Hussman Institute for Human Genomics Office: 305-243-2365 shahn@med.miami.edu Karen P. Powell, MS, CGC CEC LIAISON, 2013–2017 GeneDx Office: 335-676-3296 kpowell@genedx.com Patricia F. Lambrose, M.ED. PUBLIC ADVISOR, 2014–2015 University of Utah OSHER/ Life Long Learning Program Office: 435-260-1599 lamcox@gmail.com

In May 2012, the ABGC Practice Examination had its inaugural launch. Since that time, 722 practice exams have been purchased, proving that this is a popular product. A rigorous development process was used so that the practice exam gives examinees an accurate sense of the certification examination format and how questions are worded. Since the practice exam was developed, we now have data on question performance based on those who have completed the practice exam. This affords us the opportunity to improve upon the practice exam further as we would do with the actual exam. While this still isn’t as stringent as the examination process, we felt the improvement would be appreciated. Individuals from the Certification Examination Committee (CEC) are currently working to revise the practice exam. We are doing this so that it will be representative of what to expect during the examination process. During the updating process, the original practice exam will still be available for purchase. The updated exam will be available to candidates by June 1, 2015. Please go to our website www.ABGC.net for the most up-to-date information.

ABGC Examination Fees Over the past 10 years, there have been many improvements in the ABGC Certification Examination process: � from one examination administration every two years to two examination administrations every year, � from waiting six weeks to learn whether you passed the examination to learning immediately after you finish the exam, � from relying exclusively on for profit enterprises to develop board study materials to being able to download a detailed exam content outline from www.ABGC.net and purchase a practice examination.

With all of these improvements, you might expect that the examination would cost more now than ever before — it doesn’t. Indeed, the February 2016 examination will cost $900 for first time examinees and $800 for repeat test takers. This is a 34 percent and 41 percent decrease in fees, respectively, over the past seven years!

Sharon Aufox, MS, CGC 2014–2017 Northwestern University Center for Genetic Medicine Office: 312-695-0701 s-aufox@northwestern.edu Stephanie Kieffer, MS, CGC 2015–2018 Provincial Medical Genetics Program of BC University of British Columbia Office: 604-875-2345, x5440 skieffer@cw.bc.ca EXECUTIVE OFFICE Sheila O’Neal Executive Director Phone: 913-895-4789 soneal@ABGC.net Katherine Hughey Association Manager Phone: 913-895-4794 khughey@ABGC.net Mary Henderson Administrative Assistant Phone: 913-895-4793 info@ABGC.net MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 14216 Lenexa, KS 66285-4216 info@ABGC.net www.ABGC.net

Call for Nominations for the ABGC Board Of Directors The ABGC Board of Directors has an opening for one Board member to begin serving a four-year term in January 2016. Nominees should be passionate about the profession, have extensive professional and leadership experience (such as a board member or committee chair in a genetics related organization), and the ability to think and act strategically.

complete and submit the Personal Statement and Information Form, curriculum vitae (CV), and color photo to the Executive Office. The formal call for nominations and forms will be available on the website by June 2015.

If you know a CGC ® who would be an ideal candidate to represent your profession, please nominate her or him by sending an email to info@ABGC.net. It would be ideal to discuss this nomination with the individual before submitting, but this is not required. The Executive Office will follow up with him/her regarding their interest. If you are interested in being considered for the Board of Directors, we highly encourage you to

A slate of candidates will be chosen by the Nominating Committee to present to Diplomates for election. Elections will take place in the summer 2015. ABGC relies on the passion and expertise of our Diplomates to ensure the high standards of professionalism are maintained by the organization. If you are ready to lead and make an impact in your profession, submit your nomination today!

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Strategic Plan At the end of 2014, ABGC completed a new strategic plan to set priorities, strengthen operations, and direct resources. This was a response to the split from the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) and the evolving professional landscape of the Certified Genetic Counselor®. Key environmental influencers identified during the strategic planning process include expanding licensure of genetic counselors, shifting indications for genetic testing, increasing presence of CGCs® in specialty areas, emerging competition in the delivery of genomic services, and advancing genomic technologies spurring business opportunities, competition, and varied job possibilities. Four primary goals were established to guide efforts toward fulfilling our revised purpose and mission. The purpose of ABGC is to promote high standards in genetic counseling, and its mission is to protect the public by setting certification standards and providing leadership to promote the value of Certified Genetic Counselors®. The four goals included in the strategic plan are as follows: 1. ABGC will be flexible, open to, and able to pursue new opportunities for leadership within the genetic counseling profession. 2. CGCs® will be licensed leaders in the provision of genetic counseling. 3. The public will integrate genetics into their health care through utilization of Certified Genetic Counselors®. 4. Health care providers will partner with CGCs® to integrate genetics into their practice. We look forward to reporting progress made as we implement steps to achieve the goals of our new strategic plan.

practice offers licensure — when I apply for my license, how can I prove that I am a Certified Genetic Counselor® ?”

The process for obtaining a license will vary for each state, so please be certain to carefully read the application instructions provided by the state to which you are applying. If you need ABGC to confirm either Active Candidate Status (ACS) or your Certified Genetic Counselor® (CGC ®) status, please use the “ABGC Exam Applicant – Active Candidate Status Verification Request

PACs were developed to acknowledge the diverse skill set a genetic counselor relies upon in daily practice. Clinical supervision, written and oral presentations to lay and professional audiences, publications in peer-reviewed literature – all of these activities promote the professional development of a genetic counselor. In recognition of the role that case conferences may play in this development, the Board of Directors decided that, effective 2015, case conferences will now be eligible for a PAC under the Peer Supervision Groups category. The maximum PACs awarded for this activity is unchanged – 1 PAC per year per peer supervision group or case conference.

Clarifications CGCs® who provide Clinical Supervision may receive 0.5 PAC per

student for a minimum of 25 hours of direct clinical supervision to a maximum of 1.0 PAC per year. A CGC ® may earn 1 PAC per article or chapter written under the Publication category.

The Presentations to Professionals PAC credit will be granted for the development of the presentation and the first presentation of the material only. If you plan to recertify through continuing education, information on the documentation necessary to claim PACs can be found at http://www.abgc.net/Certification/documents/ABGCPACTable _2014Updates_000.pdf.

From the MAILBAG Q: “The state in which I

Professional Activity Credits (PACs): Changes and Clarifications

Form” or the “ABGC Request for Credential Verification Order Form.” Both of these documents can be found at http://www.abgc.net/ Certification/certification.asp. Please note that there is a $40 charge per verification if you are not current on all your Certification Maintenance Fee (CMF) payments.

“What are PACs? Can I use PACs to maintain my state license?”

A PAC (or Professional Activity Credit) is awarded for participation in a variety of professional activities determined by ABGC to promote

educational development. While PACs can be used in lieu of Category 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), for up to 20 percent of the total continuing education credits during the recertification process, they may not be recognized in this same way by individual state licensure boards. Because the process for obtaining and maintaining a genetic counseling license varies from state to state, it is best to check with the licensure board for the specific state of interest to determine if you can use PACs, in addition to CEUs, as part of your license renewal process. For more information on PACs, please visit http:// www.ABGC.net/Certification/ factsheets.asp.

“My certification is going to expire at the end of this year. I entered my CEUs on the ABGC online recertification system and realized that I need to earn more CEUs. Does ABGC provide a list of Category 1 CEU activities?”

Because ABGC is not an authorized provider of continuing education for genetic counselors, we do not review conferences, webinars, etc., to determine whether they meet established guidelines and standards. The National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) currently provides this service to the profession. Information on approved Category I CEU activities can be found by going to www.nsgc.org and searching under the “Education” menu.

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To learn more, visit www.asuragen.com or call 1.877.772.8018 1. Nolin, S., Glicksman, A., Ersalesi, N., Dobkin, C., Brown W.T., et. al. (2014). Fragile X full mutation expansions are inhibited by one or more AGG interruptions in premutation carriers. Genetics in Medicine. 11 September 2014. doi:10.1038/gim.2014.106

DISCOVER • DEVELOP • DIAGNOSE 5

We Listened to You! In 2013, ABGC surveyed Diplomates on your preferences for receiving communications. Overwhelmingly, you preferred to receive most ABGC communications through email and paper mail. While you still wanted to receive certain information via email from ABGC, such as job announcements and information about recertification and ABGC activities, you did not want to be bombarded with emails and wanted the ability to opt-out from receiving certain types of emails.

Research Requests

Based on this feedback, we have made changes in how we contact you with different types of information. This annual newsletter is one of the first things implemented based on your input.

Due to lack of interest, ABGC will not be on social media sites and the ABGC Facebook page has been discontinued.

To help you identify and filter ABGC emails, specific email addresses have been created. Diplomates can receive information from ABGC from the following email addresses: � Emails containing invoices for certification maintenance fees will be sent from ABGC@goAMP.com. You cannot opt out of emails pertaining specifically to your certification status (e.g., CMF fees). � Job announcement emails will be sent from jobs@ABGC.net.* � Emails with research requests will now be sent from research@ ABGC.net.* � All other emails will be sent from info@ABGC.net.*

Social Media

* You can “opt-out” of receiving emails from jobs@ABGC.net and research@ ABGC.net by clicking on “SafeUnsubscribe” at the bottom of the email.

Advertisement Options Available in 2016! Would you like to place an ad in this newsletter? Advertising space is available. Advertising packages will be available in early 2016. To make an inquiry, please contact Katherine Hughey, ABGC Association Manager, at khughey@ABGC.net. ABGC reserves the right to refuse advertising at its discretion. Please note, advertisers appearing in the newsletter are not necessarily endorsed by ABGC.

American Board of Genetic Counseling, Inc. PO Box 14216 Lenexa, KS 66285-4216

More Tailored Communications

In addition to research requests being sent from a different email address, you will receive research-related emails no more than once a month. If we receive multiple requests from Diplomates, students or others to offer research participation opportunities, all of the requests will be sent in one email. If a research request does not meet the deadline for the monthly email, it will be held until the next month for distribution.

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