Shadowing of Clinical Genetic Counselors as an Admissions Criteria for Genetic Counseling Programs

Introduction: Exposure to genetic counseling is a strongly recommended prerequisite for entrance into genetic counseling programs. Shadowing a clinical genetic counselor is the most common method of fulfilling that requirement. Despite this, a survey of the literature revealed no studies documenting the benefits of this experience to either genetic counseling training programs or their trainees. Purpose and Methods: This study queried both program directors and genetic counseling students to determine the perceived value of shadowing and barriers to access, as well as identifying acceptable alternatives to shadowing. An online survey was distributed to 34 genetic counseling program directors using SurveyMonkey and completed by 20 for a response rate of 59%. A second survey was distributed to ~700 current genetic counseling students using SurveyMonkey and completed by 229 for a response rate of 33%. Results: The majority of students (91%, n=208) reported shadowing a genetic counselor prior to acceptance, though many (19%, n=37) indicated that it was either near to impossible or very difficult to get this experience. Most described their experiences positively, with 94%, of students (n=187) reporting that shadowing confirmed their desire to pursue a career in genetic counseling.” A substantial minority (47%, n=94) had alternate experiences they considered “as beneficial as shadowing.” Most training programs (80%, n=16) reported shadowing as a recommended, but not required, admissions criterion. All program directors (100%, n=20) felt that shadowing gives applicants a better understanding of the profession. Despite the difficulty in getting this experience, 85% of directors (n=17) did not feel that the recommendation limits the applicant pool. Most program directors (83% 3 SHADOWING OF CLINICAL GENETIC COUNSELORS AS AN ADMISSIONS CRITERIA n=15) considered interviewing a genetic counsellor an acceptable alternative; a minority (25%, n=5) looked unfavorably on shadowing done exclusively in a non-clinical setting. Conclusion: Students and program directors both perceive value in shadowing a clinical genetic counselor. Given the level of difficulty in gaining this exposure, alternative experiences are also perceived to be of value to both populations. The perceived value of non-clinical shadowing in both populations is an area of further research as it will likely be more common as the field expands

Sensitization of SnO2 and ZnO nanostructures by CH3NH3SnCl3 hybrid particles

With the aim of developing metal oxide nanostructures optimally designed to match the physical requirements of their applications, we tried to modify the surface of either ZnO tetrapods and SnO2 nanowires by evaporation of hybrid organic-inorganic self-assembled perovskites (surface sensitization) and investigated the resulting photoluminescence (PL) properties. Film of CH3NH3SnCl3 hybrid perovskite were thermally ablated on either ZnO tetrapods (TP) deposited on quartz substrates [see L Zanotti et al., this conference] or SnO2 nanowires (NW) grown on alumina substrates. By using a shadow mask hybrid was deposited only on one half of the ZnO TP and SnO2 NW substrates, thus leaving bare nanostructures on the other half. PL measurements were performed on the two portions of each substrate by using an excitation wavelength λ=325 nm. We observed that hybrid has negligible effects on the PL spectra of ZnO TP, but significantly modify the PL of SnO2 NWs. Bare SnO2 nanowires in fact show the usual broad featureless PL peak in the 400-600 nm range, while after hybrid deposition the peak shape is strongly modified with a slight red-shift. Since the changes of NW PL do not scale with hybrid thickness, and, on the other hand, the PL efficiency of the hybrid itself is quite modest to justify the phenomenon, we suggest that the observed effect has to be imputed to the formation of interfaces due to the interaction between the nanostructure matrix and hybrid. The mechanisms of such interaction and the consequent PL modification are presently investigated

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Taha Toros Arşivi, Dosya Adı: Nazım Hikmetİstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı (TR10/14/YEN/0033) İstanbul Development Agency (TR10/14/YEN/0033