Bonnie J. Baty, MS, CGCE ; Steven Keiles, MS, LCGC
The Late Career SIG is pleased to introduce the Career Arc Task Force (CATF), which was created to increase recognition and participation of late- career and retired genetic counselors as a vital part of the genetic counselor career arc. The term “career arc” is similar to “career trajectory,” as both describe the shape of a career path.
The CATF’s first goal was to revise the Professional Status Survey (PSS) to better capture information related to late-career and retired genetic counselors. As part of the PSS sub-committee, the CATF co-chairs revised the 2022 PSS, which is scheduled for release to the membership in January 2022. The data obtained will provide a baseline picture of late career professional involvement and create a more complete picture of career arcs for genetic counselors. Changes in the 2022 PSS include:
- Altered question sequence, novel answer choices, and “skip patterns” to capture a wide range of activities among retirees, including part-time and self-employment, professional activities, and paid work
- Increased detail about mid- and late-career salary options by considering compensation as a salary package
We strongly encourage all genetic counselors including those who are retired, to participate in the 2022 PSS to provide data around important late career issues!
Beyond revision to the 2022 PSS, the CATF is looking forward to working on other issues such as ageism (perhaps as a J.E.D.I. issue), updating the “retirement toolkit,” and late career mentoring. The CATF will consider other career arc issues and projects suggested by Late Career SIG members or the NSGC leadership.
The Late Career SIG has ongoing projects beyond the recent creation of the CATF. As highlighted in the 2021 Q2 SIG Speak column, we previously undertook a major project to preserve historical items related to the GC profession. SIG members are currently collecting, scanning, and archiving these items at Sarah Lawrence College. During the NSGC AEC 40th anniversary celebration in 2020, the Late Career SIG contributed a plenary session, archival items, and contents of a timeline exhibit. We’ve also authored two articles for Perspectives focused on the work we did to document NSGC’s history:
Informally called the “retirement toolkit,” another SIG project is the 18-page document Retirement Transition: Issues to Consider. This document covers issues such as why, when, and how to retire, a retirement timeline, psychological and social considerations, and appendices covering insurance, emeritus/a status, resources, a reading/viewing list, case studies, and certification, licensure, and credentialing.
Finally, the Late Career SIG Connections Committee plans social and professional interactions (e.g., book club, receptions at the Annual Conference) and coordinates mentoring opportunities. And lastly, the Education Committee plans educational events, including a recent interactive webinar, A Workshop: Retirement Transition Roadmap Understanding the Landscape. With so much to offer, the Late Career SIG is a great resource for GCs at any point in their career!
Are you interested in joining the CATF? Any member of the Late Career SIG (open to all NSGC members) is welcome to join. Please contact co-chairs Bonnie or Steve for further information or volunteer opportunities.
Bonnie J. Baty, MS, CGCE established genetic counseling services at the University of Utah and has practiced as a genetic counselor for over four decades.
Steven Keiles, MS, LCGC is the Senior Director, Head of the Genetic Counselor Organization at Quest Diagnostics. Mr. Keiles is a leader in the fields of pediatric, adult and prenatal genetic counseling, and clinical diagnosis at Quest.