Impactful Information

The highlight of last week was the two interviews I completed on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday, I interviewed a genetic counselor in Dallas, and it was a refreshing perspective because up till that point I had only been contacting clinical geneticists. While our conversation was short, she answered all of my questions and gave some great clarity to some misconceptions I had about the field. For example, when I asked her how she delivered bad news to patients, which I told her I was super worried of doing myself, she told me that it's actually not the hardest part of being a geneticist. Most families know that the patient has a medical issue, and providing an answer, good or bad, can be a relief--especially if treatment can be started. She also said that over time, you learn to separate yourself from the patient emotionally and focus on getting them what they need.

My interview on Thursday the next day was with a clinical geneticist in Kansas City whom I was referred to by Dr. Hopkin, my first interviewee. My interview with her was much more fun and lasted nearly an hour. I think this was because it was over video call versus the phone call interview I did with the genetic counselor the day before. Her interview brought clarity as well, but what I took out of it was a pattern I identified in all the interviews. All three geneticists I took the time to interview emphasized how curiosity & compassion as the most important for success in the occupation, supporting families and patients is extremely rewarding, dealing with insurance companies is the biggest challenge, and that they and their clinics switched to telehealth due to COVID-19. Besides noticing the pattern, I liked this genetic counselor's interview because she broke down some complicated genetic tests into something I could understand, the cool ways she kept up with scientific breakthroughs, and her adversity with insurance companies.

Because of the patterns I noticed, I think I may switch to different questions so that I can glean new knowledge from future interviewees versus getting the same information. I have two clinical geneticists who I am scheduling interviews with over this and next week, and I will surely apply new questions to them.

I was successful in conducting interviews after a long pause where I could not contact anyone, and I hope my newfound success doesn't end. This week, I will continue my research on genetics and analyzing my past interviews I did in case I discover something interesting. I still have many contacts left to cross out on my contact list, but I am on the path to finding a mentor. I will continue to make phone calls, shoot emails, and transcribe LinkedIn messages.