§ 14-5G-14

(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

(2) “Qualified supervisor” means:

(i) An individual who:

1. Is licensed to practice as a genetic counselor under this subtitle; and

2. Has practiced for a minimum of 3 years after passing the national certifying examination; or

(ii) A physician who has been licensed in the State for a minimum of 5 years.

(3) “Supervision” means the ongoing, direct, clinical review for the purposes of training or teaching by a qualified supervisor who monitors the performance of a supervised genetic counselor’s supervised interaction with a patient and provides regular documented face–to–face meetings and consultation, chart reviews, guidance, and instructions with respect to the clinical skills and competencies of the supervised genetic counselor.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, on or after January 1, 2024, the Board shall issue a supervised genetic counselor license to an applicant who:

(1) Has graduated from a genetic counseling program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counselors;

(2) Has met all qualifications for licensure except for certification from the American Board of Genetic Counselors; and

(3) Has applied for the first available national certifying examination.

(c) The Board may not issue a license under subsection (b) of this section if the applicant has failed the American Board of Genetic Counseling certification examination two or more times.

(d) (1) As a condition of licensure, the supervised genetic counselor shall work under the supervision of a qualified supervisor.

(2) The supervised genetic counselor and the qualified supervisor shall enter into a supervision contract that:

(i) Specifies the manner of supervision as required by the Board;

(ii) Is signed by the supervised genetic counselor and the qualified supervisor; and

(iii) Is maintained by both the supervised genetic counselor and the qualified supervisor and made available to the Board.

(e) The supervised genetic counselor may not represent to the public, by description of services, methods, or procedures, or otherwise, that the supervised genetic counselor is a licensed genetic counselor.

(f) (1) A supervised genetic counselor license may not be valid for more than 1 year after the date of issuance.

(2) A supervised genetic counselor license expires on the earliest of:

(i) The issuance of a genetic counselor license to the supervised genetic counselor;

(ii) The expiration date printed on the supervised genetic counselor license; or

(iii) On notice of the second failure of the supervised genetic counselor to pass the certification examination.

(g) A supervised genetic counselor who has not passed the examination within two examination cycles may not continue practicing under the supervised genetic counselor license.

(h) A supervised genetic counselor is subject to discipline under § 14–5G–19 of this subtitle to the same extent as a genetic counselor.