Will the United States have sufficient numbers of qualified health professionals to provide for the future genetic health care and service needs of the population?This is a difficult question to answer. Continued scientific discoveries and new clinical applications will fuel a growing interest and demand for genetic services. At the same time, the very definition of genetic services is evolving. Clinical genetics services are highly specialized and currently constitute a focused area of overall medical care and public health programs. Yet, genetics-related discoveries are forecast to be one of the most significant factors affecting health care over the next decades.This summary presents key findings of a survey of medical geneticists that was one component of a 3-year national research project, Assessing Genetic Services and the Health Workforce. The goals of the overall project were to: (1) describe current models of providing clinical genetics services; (2) describe the roles of health professionals delivering services; (3) identify measures to monitor changes in demand for services; and (4) establish a framework and baseline description for ongoing and longitudinal studies of genetic services.A written survey of all American Board of Medical Genetics (ABMG) certified medical geneticists was conducted in February 2003; it included 67 questions organized into six sections. A 55% response rate was obtained. No response rate difference (bias) was found using comparisons by geographic location (US Census regions and divisions), and year and type of initial ABMG certification. When using comparisons by respondents' degree type, response rates varied from 51% to 63%, with a slight but statistically significant higher response rate for the PhD-only degree subgroup. We concluded from this analysis that the observed response rates showed variability but little evidence of bias. Thus, we present findings weighted for the entire population (1377) This commentary begins with a workforce summary that presents findings for the entire medical genetics workforce. Only limited subgroup analysis is presented (e.g., the geographic distribution of MD clinical geneticists, activities of clinical laboratory geneticists). This workforce summary approach allows one to describe the overall characteristics, professional practices, and aggregate contributions of the professional group.

Unexpected growth in medication use has escalated demand for pharmacists that has outpaced supply. Responses to the pharmacist shortage include larger workloads and greater use of pharmacist extenders and technology. As the profession has moved from a product orientation (dispensing medications) to a patient focus, clinical training requirements have expanded. However, structural and process barriers, particularly in community and retail pharmacies, must be addressed to improve the medication-use process. These issues merit greater attention from health care leaders and policymakers.

Although many geneticists practice as generalist geneticists, this study provides an evidence base for distinguishing clinically relevant subgroups of geneticists. Geneticists provide similar numbers of new patient visits and far fewer follow-up visits than other medical specialists. These findings are relevant to geneticist workforce planning.

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