Perinatal Genetic Counselor

Howard County General Hospital : A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine is a not-for-profit health care provider with 225 licensed beds located in Columbia, Maryland. A comprehensive, acute-care medical center, Howard County General offers a full range of services specializing in women's and children's services, surgery, cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, gerontology, psychiatry, emergency services, and community health education.

What Awaits You?

• Career growth and development
• Tuition Assistance for you and your dependent child
• Diverse and collaborative working environment
• Affordable and comprehensive benefits package
• Free parking

Position Summary:

The Perinatal Genetic Counselor is responsible for providing genetic counseling, education, and management for high-risk obstetrical patients as well as act as a resource under the direction of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Center’s physicians. The counselor performs case preparation, follow up and management for each patient. Must be able to accurately and completely document interactions and findings of counseling session(s) to provide information to other

clinicians and physicians. Ability to work independently, and with minimal supervision to assure safe, timely, and efficient delivery of service.

Major Responsibilities:

• Ability to function independently as the sole genetic counselor in a high-volume clinical setting.
• Constructs, analyzes, and conveys findings of family pedigree in the case of high-risk pregnancies.
• Discusses options with patients and physicians regarding genetic risk factors of prenatal patients.
• Conveys risk of a genetic condition with total accuracy to the patient, requiring a depth of knowledge of genetics and good communication skills.
• Assists with decision making utilizing counseling skills and a non-directive approach that is respectful of patient’s feelings and beliefs.
• Consults with medical staff to obtain or provide pertinent patient information.
• Prepares and updates materials used in patient education for individual patients and all educational programs.
• Orders, coordinates, and follows up on a full range of prenatal genetic testing including NIPT, carrier screening, single-gene testing, and various prenatal diagnostic tests across multiple reference laboratories.
• Independently manages prior authorization requests for genetic testing across commercial, Medicaid, and federal insurance plans, including drafting letters of medical necessity.
• Discloses results of all prenatal genetic testing, including diagnostic and complex findings, to patients and families; coordinates with MFM physicians on clinical management and counseling follow-up.
• Coordinates referrals for invasive prenatal diagnosis (CVS and amniocentesis), including patient consent, procedure-day coordination, and specimen management.
• Prepares and presents the monthly perinatal/NICU case conference, including periodic educational presentations for the multidisciplinary team and participates in regular multi-disciplinary team conferences.
• Coordinates pregnancy management options and referrals for complex prenatal diagnoses and provides ongoing psychosocial support to patients navigating pregnancy loss.
• Manage inventory, accounts, and relationships across multiple genetic testing laboratory partners.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Performs duties in a manner that is consistent with the hospital’s core values and the language of caring habits.
• Attends mandatory departmental meetings, hospital in-services, and continuing education programs to keep informed of new developments affecting hospital initiatives and his/her area of expertise.
• Participates on Continuous Improvement Teams as required. Performs tasks necessary for maintenance and improvement of his/her functional area within the department.
• Maintains effective, timely lines of communication with his/her supervisor and co-workers.
• Maintains acceptable attendance and punctuality in order to maximize his/her contribution to the organization in accordance with hospital policy.
• Acknowledges his/her ultimate responsibility is to directly or indirectly serve the needs of every patient as defined in the JHHCMC Mission Statement.

Highly Valued Skills:

• Proficiency with Epic EMR, including documentation, order entry, charge capture, and patient communication via MyChart.
• Familiarity with genetic testing laboratory ordering portals and result management systems (e.g., Natera connect, LabcorpLink, GeneDx portal).
• Experience with insurance prior authorization workflows for genetic testing across commercial and government payers.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's degree (M.S.) from a graduate program accredited by the American Board of Genetic Counseling (A.B.G.C.).
• Experience in prenatal genetic counseling required. 2-3 years of perinatal genetic counseling experience preferred.
• Maryland licensure and American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) certification as a genetic counselor, or for new graduates Maryland licensure as a supervised genetic counselor with ABGC certification within one year of employment.

Salary Range: Minimum 34.62/hour - Maximum 57.19/hour. Compensation will be commensurate with equity and experience for roles of similar scope and responsibility. In cases where the range is displayed as a $0 amount, salary discussions will occur during candidate screening calls, before any subsequent compensation discussion is held between the candidate and any hiring authority.

The Hospital reserves the right to modify employee schedules as needed.

We are committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, where we embrace and celebrate our differences, where all employees feel valued, contribute to our mission of serving the community, and engage in equitable healthcare delivery and workforce practices.

Johns Hopkins Health System and its affiliates are drug-free workplace employers.