The medical genetics workforce: an analysis of clinical geneticists subgroups.

Cooksey JA, Forte GJ, Flanagan PA, Benkendorf J, Blitzer MG. The medical genetics workforce: an analysis of clinical geneticists subgroups. Genetics in Medicine. 2006;8(10): 603-614.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17079876

Clinical geneticists with a Doctor of Medicine degree face challenges to meet the growing population demand for genetic services. This study was designed to assist the profession with workforce planning by identifying clinically relevant subgroups of geneticists and describing their professional characteristics and clinical practices. Geneticists’ patient care productivity is compared across subgroups and other medical specialists. Part of a comprehensive national study of genetic services and the health workforce, this study uses data from a 2003 survey of geneticists certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics. An iterative approach was used to identify five subgroups based on the types of new patients seen, followed by a descriptive analysis of subgroups by demographic, training, professional, and practice characteristics.