“Genetic counseling, clinical geneticist, cytogeneticist, genetic lab technician, and genetic data analyst are several career options for applying DNA technology knowledge in medicine.”
Molecular medicine is an interdisciplinary field that combines the knowledge of genetics or genetic technologies and medical science. It is used for assessing disease risk, diagnosing conditions, predicting prognosis, guiding surgical procedures, and evaluating treatment outcomes.
Meaning, that having a thorough knowledge of genetics helps one to up-shine in the medical field. Gene therapy and CRISPR-cas9 expertise can even take it to the next level.
In addition, advances in next-generation sequencing and DNA microarrays have also created new opportunities for genetic data analysts or bioinformaticians in the medical field.
I have years of experience working in the medical field as a geneticist. And Trust me! It is a highly rewarding and high-paying job for a bachelor’s or master’s degree holder. In this article, I will enlist 10+ career options that apply the knowledge of genetics to medicine.
Stay tuned.
Key Topics:
Applications of DNA technologies in medicine
Before discussing career options, it is important to understand how DNA technologies can be employed in medicine. What are the applications that one looks for!
In recent times, disciplines like diagnostics, healthcare, surgery, oncology, reproductive medicines, prenatal medicines and even specialized fields highly rely on genetic technologies for meaningful outcomes.
In diagnostics, it has been used to identify genetic diseases, infections, and health conditions linked to various disorders.
In surgeries, it has been used to make surgical decisions, for instance, HLA matching for kidney or liver transplants.
In oncology, it has been used to study cancer and cancer-causing chromosomal and genetic variants.
In reproductive medicine, it is used to identify, screen or study male and female infertility and assist in IVF and other procedures.
In prenatal medicine, it is used to investigate genetic abnormality associated with a fetus, if any.
In neurology, cardiology, urology, psychology and other fields, it has been used to find out genetic variants associated with a particular condition.
Further to this, techniques like gene therapy and CRISPR-cas9 can potentially be employed to treat various disease conditions.
10+ Career Options For DNA Technology and Medicine
Clinical geneticist
The most demanding and popular career option which I ranked first in this list is the ‘clinical geneticist.’ It requires a genetics or related life science degree as a main subject. Key roles and responsibilities are,
- To diagnose genetic disorders.
- To conduct and validate genetic assays for the lab for better outcomes.
- To conduct audits for quality assessment and assurance.
- To prepare and implement SOPs.
- To deliver the test outcomes to the doctor or genetic counselor.
Skills required:
Basic genetics knowledge, and sheer expertise in PCR technology, DNA sequencing, next-generation sequencing, microarray, common lab skills, etc. A complete roadmap to becoming a successful geneticist is explained in this article. Click the link to explore it.
Educational requirement:
A Master’s or doctorate degree in any life sciences is mandatory to become a clinical geneticist. Similar qualifications in biotechnology or genetics are highly recommended.
Necessary certification as per the rules and regulations of the resident country. For instance, certification from the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics in the US.
Specialized training or courses to handle and operate instruments and conduct genetic tests.
Keep in note that a doctorate or Ph.D degree helps to secure a higher position and salary in the organization or company.
Genetic Counselor
Yet another most demanding and highly recognized option to apply the knowledge of genetics in medicine is ‘genetic counselor.’
A Genetic counselor has played a significantly important role in medical setup in recent times due to their extensive knowledge of genetics and potential to apply it in the medical field.
DNA tests are mostly ethically regulated. A genetic counselor explains the importance of the test and its outcomes to the patient. A genetic counselor is required in a hospital or clinic, genetic testing facilities, prenatal and reproductive medicines and biopharma companies.
Their key roles and responsibilities are
- To educate patients regarding their genetic condition.
- Communicate with the patient and their family and emotionally support them.
- Evaluate disease risk assessment.
- Recommend a genetic test as per the condition reported.
- Communicate results, outcomes and consequences to the patient and their family.
- Educate the patient on ethical and regulatory compliance for a genetic test.
Skills requires:
Basic and advanced knowledge of genetics, excellent verbal and non-verbal communication, genetic testing and analysis.
Educational requirements:
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in genetics, biotechnology or medicine. An MBBS degree holder can also become a genetic counselor with one year of certification course in genetic counseling from the authorized board.
Certification or license is also mandatory from the central government authorities to become a qualified or authorized genetic counselor. For instance, certification from the American Board of Genetic Counseling or the UK Genetic Counseling Registration Board is required for the US and UK, respectively.
Cytogeneticist:
Cytogenetics is a specialized and interdisciplinary field of genetics that focuses on chromosomal investigations. Techniques like karyotyping are a gold-standard method to study chromosomes for decays and hence, cytogeneticists are always in demand.
Their key roles and responsibilities are
- To conduct chromosomal analysis.
- To prepare test SOPs and implement them for better outcomes.
- To evaluate test results and correlate them with the symptoms.
Skills required:
To become an expert cytogeneticist one has to have several specialized skill sets to study chromosomes. In addition, they should have expertise in FISH (Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization) and microarray. They also need to have a high proficiency in microscopy as well.
Educational requirement:
Master’s or doctorate in the field of genetics, particularly in cytogenetics. Experience, expertise and certification from the authorized central board is also required.
Note that with a bachelor’s or diploma degree, one can become a cytogenetic technician but not a certified cytogeneticist.
Genetic lab technician
Genetic lab experiments and testing are entirely a different setup than routine microbiology or pathology tests. Thus, a dedicated genetic lab technician is also required in a genetic lab.
Their roles and responsibilities are to assist the clinical or cytogeneticist, perform tests, and conduct routine lab work.
Skills requires:
Basic genetic knowledge, and hands-on experience in PCR, sequencing and other lab works.
Educational requirements:
A bachelor’s degree, certification course or diploma degree in the relevant field can become a genetic lab technician.
Bioinformatician
Bioinformaticians aren’t working directly in the medical setup but still have a significant role in medicine and the medical field. They help to extract meaningful data from pre- and post-test analysis.
Their roles and responsibilities are
- To evaluate data and produce meaningful outcomes.
- Identify genetic variants and associate them with a disease or genetic condition.
- Excluding medicine, they also conduct molecular modeling, drug discovery, machine learning and other computer-based analysis.
Skills requires:
Training and experience in information technology, programming, data analysis and knowledge of basic genetics and genetic techniques.
Educational requirement:
Master’s or doctorate in bioinformatics.
Gene therapy expert
In recent times, a gene therapy expert has been in high demand. However, they are considered geneticists, their main skill sets are in gene therapy and CRISPR technology.
Their roles and responsibilities are
- To design a gene therapy against a disease.
- To develop the clinical applications of gene therapy.
- To ensure ethical and legal compliance.
- To measure or monitor patient safety, outcomes and success of gene therapy.
Skills required:
Again, basic to advanced knowledge of genetics is first in the first place. In addition, extensive knowledge and expertise in PCR, DNA sequencing, NGS, microarray, Gene therapy and gene editing technology is also mandatory.
Educational requirements:
Doctorate or Ph.D degree in the field of genetics, biotechnology or biochemistry.
Wrapping up:
These are the top 6 career options to apply the knowledge of genetics in medicine. Other options are to become a cancer geneticist, reproductive medicine expert, forensic analyst or pharmacogenomics expert. To know more read our article on 50 ways you can be a geneticist today.
In addition, the same skills can also be applied in neuroscience, cardiology, urology, dermatology, or other fields. and are sufficient for all these fields.
These are the 10+ Career Options For DNA Technology and Medicine. I hope this article guides you in deciding your career. Do share it and subscribe to Genetic Education.
If you want to achieve your career in any of these fields, I strongly recommend participating in our online course on Molecular Medicine.
