This summer I had the opportunity to attend the Resolve Through
Sharing Bereavement Training on Perinatal Death conference with several other genetic
counselors from CCHMC. Attending this conference allowed me the opportunity to
expand my knowledge on the process and emotions that patients and families go
through when experiencing a perinatal death. During the conference I was able to
discuss practices and policies at other hospitals with other health care
professionals, including social workers and labor and delivery nurses. I found
it especially helpful to attend the conference with other genetic counselors.
This allowed me to hear and learn from some of their experiences and reflect on
how this will impact my own future genetic counseling career.
Although I am currently undecided on what I would like to
specialize in upon graduation, I feel that this experience has the potential to
translate into any specialty of genetic counseling. No matter what the age of
the patients are that I am working with there is always the chance to be
impacted by a loss. During my summer rotation I was able to put some of the
information I learned into practice after two of my pediatric patients passed
away. We were able to help the mother talk through difficult decisions she was
going to have to make and then provide bereavement resources. Additionally
during my summer rotation, I was involved with a case where a difficult loss
had been recently experienced. During this particular situation I was able to
include some of the information and knowledge from Resolve Through Sharing into
my psychosocial counseling.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference.
I’m glad that I have the foundation and framework to build relationships and
comfort patients and families when going through difficult times related to
perinatal death. This was invaluable experience that I highly encourage other
genetic counseling students take advantage of in the future.
--Katlin Allsbrook
