Discipline-Specific Genomic Competencies

Discipline-specific genomic competencies are knowledge and skills that a provider needs in order to perform specific functions in genomic healthcare. Competency-based healthcare education is an outcomes-based approach that uses competencies to organize and structure curricula and continuing education.

Click on Competency Summary to view a simple, abbreviated format of the competency hierarchy, suitable for printing.
Click on the Reference link to view the published competencies as a pdf or through a link to an article.

Competency Summary	Reference and Description
Genetic Counselor	Practice-Based Competencies for Genetic Counselors June 2019 This document defines and describes the practice-based competencies that an entry-level provider must demonstrate to successfully practice as a genetic counselor.
Medical School Education	2022 Association of Professors of Human and Medical Genetics (APHMG) consensus-based update of the core competencies for undergraduate medical education in genetics and genomics October 2022 The published updated competencies created through consensus by the APHMG will serve as a guide for medical school leadership and educators involved in curriculum development, implementation, and assessment. Use of these competencies across the undergraduate medical curricula will foster knowledge, skills, and behaviors required in medical practice across a wide range of specialties.
Nurses: All	Essentials of Genetic & Genomic Nursing: Competencies, Curricula Guidelines, & Outcome Indicators 2nd Edition © 2009 Establishes the minimum basis with which to prepare the nursing workforce to deliver competent genetic and genomic focused nursing case. Additionally, defines for each competency the essential knowledge elements and suggested practice indicators.
Nurses: Graduate	Essential Genetic and Genomic Competencies for Nurses with Graduate Degrees © 2012 This document provides the essential genetic and genomic competencies for nurses prepared at the graduate level. These competencies apply to any graduate level nurse including but not limited to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), clinical nurse leaders, nurse educators, nurse administrators, and nurse scientists. The APRN role has a different legal scope of practice so some competencies have been identified as unique to APRNs. These competencies assume that nurses with graduate degrees have already achieved core competencies provided in the Essentials of Genetic & Genomic Nursing: Competencies, Curricula Guidelines, & Outcome Indicators 2nd Edition © 2009
Pharmacist	Pharmacists Leading the Way to Precision Medicine: Updates to the Core Pharmacist Competencies in Genomics April 2021 These published pharmacogenomics-specific competencies were mapped to the Entrustable Professional Activities for pharmacists resulting in 30 competencies that reflect the contemporary roles pharmacists play in the application of pharmacogenomics in clinical practice.
Physician	Framework for Development of Physician Competencies in Genomic Medicine 2014 Published guidance for physicians and their educators that establishes genomics practice competencies for physicians in various medical disciplines. These competencies consist of a basic set of genomic skills to support family history, genomic testing, treatment based on genomic results, somatic genomics and microbial genomic information.
Physician Assistant	Physician Assistant Genomic Competencies September 2016 Published genomic competencies and learning outcomes for physician assistants consistent with medical education guidelines and the collaborative nature of PAs in interprofessional health care teams.

Last updated: April 13, 2023