Frequently Asked Questions


Q: How can the Mentor Program help me?
  • Benefit personally and professionally from the extensive experience and expertise available in the large, diverse pool of qualified mentors.
  • As a student:  Receive advice and guidance from an experienced counselor outside of your program on a wide range of topics from classes, to your thesis project, to your job search.
  • As a new genetic counselor: Utilize the knowledge of someone with a job in the city or position in which you hope to work; discuss difficult cases, bosses, or co-workers; get advice on studying for the Boards.
  • As a genetic counselor interested in a specialty change: Find out more about a different focus within the field; get advice on how to transition from your current position to a different role.
  • As a working genetic counselor: Network with other genetic counselors in the same region or specialty; learn about new patient and professional resources; discuss new ideas and perspectives in the field.
  • As a Mentor: Provide support and guidance for a new or established genetic counselor; share your professional wisdom and experience; stay connected to the greater genetic counseling profession; discover what you can learn from your mentee.
Q: How does the NSGC Mentor Program work?
  • The NSGC Mentor Program is designed to allow participants to select a mentor of their choosing by using this self-selecting website. 
  • There will be two enrollment periods per year. Each enrollment period will allow for recruitment of participants and the matching phase.  The matching relationship will last for a 5 month period.
  • When matched, participants communicate via telephone or email about their situation and specific needs as well as relevant topics to the Genetic Counseling field.
Q: How do I sign up?
  • During the one month enrollment period there will be a call for participants via eBlasts. 
  • The first two weeks will be for mentors to sign up on the matching website.  Please remember: to be mentor you must complete a second application. 
  • The second two weeks will be for mentees to sign up and also to request a mentor.
  • Refer to the Instructions page for more information on the sign-up process.


Q: What is the time commitment for this program?
  • The length of this relationship will be five months.  If both the mentor and mentee agree, this relationship can be extended or rolled over for a second five month period.
  • You and your mentor/mentee choose how often to communicate.  The expectation is that you will communicate often.  We have designed discussion topics that will be emailed to you on a monthly basis.
Q: How am I matched?
  • Mentees select a mentor based on the information from their profile.  This can include educational and professional background, areas of specialty, and/or years of service.
  • An email will be sent to the mentor.  The mentor will approve or deny the request on the website.  A follow up email will be automatically sent to the mentee answering the request.
  • If the match is unacceptable, the mentor can delete the mentee request on the website and can send an email to the committee indicating why the match did not work.  Mentee will be able to select another mentor. 
Q: How many mentors/mentees relationships can I have?
  • Mentees can select a maximum of one mentor.  Mentors can approve one mentee.
  • You can be both a mentor and mentee in the same round.
Q: What if I have not heard back from the Mentor I requested?
  • Contact program administrators by sending an email through the "Contact Us" link at the top or bottom of this page.
  • The program administrators will discuss your options (contact the requested Mentor again, find another possible Mentor, etc.) and help you move forward in the way that maximizes your mentoring experience.
Q: Is everyone matched with a mentoring partner?
  • During the second two weeks of the enrollment period, we encourage all the mentees to select a mentor.  We will send emails to Mentor Program members during the enrollment period to remind you to match if you have not already done so.
  • Depending on the number of mentors, the pool of available mentors and interested mentees may not always match perfectly. If you are not able to get an appropriate match, your profile will still remain online and you may participate in a match in the next enrollment period.
  • Don't get discouraged if you are a mentor but did not receive a request by a mentee to match in the last enrollment period.  Having a large pool of strong candidate mentors from which potential mentees can choose helps to ensure that mentees are able to pick the best mentor to meet their needs and contributes to the overall success of the program. 
Q: How do we exchange communication?
  • The mentoring relationship begins immediately with communication in the method that you have agreed to with your mentor/mentee.
  • It is helpful for both the mentor and mentee to choose goals and/or identify topics that you will discuss in the future. 
Q: What does NSGC do to support the mentoring relationship?
  • Discussion topics will be emailed to matched pairs each month to encourage and advance the conversation between mentors and mentees.
  • There are helpful links and resources on the matching website to assist mentors and mentees with their relationship.
  • You will receive one or more short surveys from NSGC at the end of your mentoring relationship as part of our ongoing effort to improve our program. The surveys are voluntary and we protect the privacy and anonymity of your responses.
  • If you encounter any problem or obstacles, for instance, a non-responsive partner, we will help you troubleshoot and try to resolve the issue. Please contact program administrators by sending an email through the "Contact Us" link at the top or bottom of this page. 
Q: I've signed up, but I can no longer commit to be a mentor. What should I do?
  • If you find that you cannot commit to being a mentor or mentee, please contact the program adminstrators ("Contact Us" link at top or bottom of this page).  Your account will be removed from the website.  A Mentor Program committee member will contact you to fill out a short survey about your experience with the Mentor Program.