Happy Medical Genetics Awareness Week! The goal of this week is to raise awareness of the invaluable contributions that medical genetics healthcare professionals make in the diagnosis, management and prevention of genetic diseases! Each day we will feature an amazing PA who works in the field of medical genetics!
Day 5/5: Meet Laura Gardner, PA-C! Laura is a PA at the Greenwood Genetic Center. She is the Metabolic Advanced Practice Provider Fellow.
Why genetics?
In all honesty, genetics chose me. As a PA, I knew I wanted to have an ongoing and meaningful relationship with my patients, and I wanted to work with a team of compassionate, friendly, motivated, and intellectually-curious healthcare professionals. I found all of this and more at the Greenwood Genetic Center in Greenville, SC. I knew this was the field for me when I applied to a fellowship for advanced practice providers, knowing admittedly very little about the field of genetics. I walked in the door of GGC and was greeted by a community—a community of individuals who truly care and go above and beyond for their patients, and a community who educates and fosters learning in a way unparalleled in the medical community at large. I knew then that the field of genetics was going to give me what I dreamed of, and I was going to be able to give that energy back to my patients tenfold.
What does your typical day entail?
Depending on whether I am working in general genetics clinic, metabolic/biochemical genetics clinic, or with our Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD) population that day, I may see 1-5 patients. Visits with my patients in the LSD community are detailed and lengthy, and can sometimes take several hours! Following up with our patients in the Metabolic Clinic requires a lot of behind the scenes work, especially when it comes to tracking infusions, working with insurance companies to get medications approved, and researching the most up-to-date guidelines for the best possible management and care of my patients. There can be emergent situations too, so my schedule remains fairly flexible to allow for such unforeseen circumstances.
When I am not seeing patients, I am following up on genetic testing, counseling families on results, and keeping track of orders, labs, and infusion records. I spend a lot of time preparing for my visits with patients on the front end too, ensuring that I am informed of the most recent research, data, and therapies available for my patients. As I see patients with very rare genetic disorders, sometimes that means collaborating with the most knowledgeable specialists in the field and creating individualized plans for a patient from scratch. I am extremely grateful to my patients on a daily basis for the hope, exuberance, and joy they bring to my life and to the lives of those around them.
What’s your favorite part of being a Genetics PA?
I think it is obvious that the best thing about working in the field of genetics is the patients I have the honor of meeting and treating. There is nothing like working with a patient to help end the diagnostic odyssey, catching a disease trait early and providing counseling for a growing family, or finding out that there is a new treatment, clinical trial, or genetic test available to a patient that was not available the year before. The rapid pace at which this field is developing is certainly another draw. We are seeing new clinical trials, therapies, and technologies come to light on a near-daily basis, and this is exciting and invigorating to me. I like to be challenged in my work, and have found that genetics is the perfect field for ongoing education, professional development, and personal growth. Having all that, on top of working with some of the best and brightest caregivers in the world, makes this profession the most fulfilling and meaningful I could imagine.
