Genomic medicine is a rapidly growing and dynamic field that needs skilled and knowledgeable professionals at every stage. There is a great range of courses available - from webinars to postgraduate study - to help inform and develop you no matter what level of knowledge you are starting from.
The Health Education England Genomics Education Programme (HEE GEP)
The national Genomics Education Programme is an NHS initiative supported by Health Education England (HEE). It exists to build the knowledge, skills and experience required to ensure the English health service remains a world leader in genomic and precision medicine.
It provides a full range of educational resources and courses, from short films to a full Master’s degree. All of these can be found on their website. (opens in a new tab)
Cambridge Genomic Medicine Programme - postgraduate and CPPD courses
This programme - commissioned by HEE's Genomic Education Programme - offers postgraduate taught awards, as well as a range of individual taught modules which will count towards your continuing professional and personal development (CPPD). Training is suitable for:
- NHS professionals, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses and midwives
- Biotech and pharmaceutical professionals
- Scientists and researchers
- People interested in a career in healthcare
Postgraduate courses include a Postgraduate Certificate (opens in a new tab), a Postgraduate Diploma (opens in a new tab) as well as a Masters which can be taken either full time (MPhil (opens in a new tab)) or part time (MSt). (opens in a new tab)
Modules from these courses (listed below) can be taken individually for CPPD, or as part of an award. Whilst courses can change in any academic year, you can express your interest in the modules online (opens in a new tab), or email the Institute of Continuing Education on genomics@ice.cam.ac.uk. Funding may be available for NHS staff to participate in the modules; please enquire with them directly.
Further opportunities to take these modules and additional genomic medicine modules for CPPD are provided by other universities around the country. Please visit HEE's GEP (opens in a new tab) for details. .
Cambridge Gateway to Genetic Counselling for Nurses and Midwives
The Cambridge Gateway to Genetic Counselling training programme is designed for nurses and midwives. The course can be used towards the educational components of the Set B criteria required for a senior nurse or midwife to be eligible to submit a Notification of Intention to Register form to The Genetic Counsellor Registration Board (opens in a new tab).
Genomic education in primary care
Developments in genomics within cancer diagnosis and treatment, familial cancer, pharmacogenomics, rare diseases, infectious diseases and complex disease all have the potential to impact on primary care. In addition, as the field of genomics advances, an increasing number of patients will be able to access testing in other ways, for example, by direct-to-consumer testing, through research programmes or from commercial companies.
They and their relatives will turn to primary care practitioners for discussion and advice on genomic tests and their results — a patient with results of a commercial genomic screen for example, or whose family member carries a pathogenic variant associated with cancer, or a mother wishing to discuss a neonatal screening test — will reach out to them for information.
Primary care practitioners will need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to communicate genomic information, understand the implications of the information, and institute appropriate management. The Genomics Education Programme (opens in a new tab) is a wealth of resources and education about genetics and genomics in medicine. It provides free online resources, guides, fact-sheets, CPPD training modules, and Master’s, Diploma, and Certificate award training.
Genomics in the NHS programme
The Genomics in the NHS programme is a collection of e-learning courses developed by NHS educational teams to support and educate healthcare professionals about genomic medicine and the benefit it will bring to patient care.
With the launch of the NHS Genomics Medicine Service in England, more healthcare professionals than ever before are likely to encounter genomics in their daily role. As it increasingly becomes a part of routine care, all healthcare professionals, not just those within specialist departments, will need some level of understanding of the impact genomics will have on the diagnosis, treatment and management of a wide variety of conditions. The e-learning courses have been developed for those directly involved in the GMS and the wider healthcare workforce.
https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/genomics-in-the-nhs/ (opens in a new tab)
British Society for Genetic Medicine (BSGM) list of events
The BSGM is a forum for professionals involved in genetics and genomics as a clinical service and research. It provides a useful calendar of events online. (opens in a new tab)
East Genomics e-learning
At NHS East Genomics we have developed four e-learning modules hosted on an online learning portal developed jointly by Cambridge University Health Partnership (CUHP) and Addenbrookes Postgraduate Medical Centre (PGMC):
· Genetic Carrier Testing in Primary Care (opens in a new tab)
· Genetic testing for Inherited Cardiac Conditions (opens in a new tab)
· Genetic Testing for Hereditary Breast Cancer (opens in a new tab)
· Patient Choice: discussing whole genome sequencing with patients (opens in a new tab)
You will need an NHS email address in order to register for an account to access the courses (opens in a new tab).