Table V.
Impact of graduate student debt
| Question/Response | n | % |
|---|---|---|
| Burden of student debt payments felt by genetic counseling graduates |
342 | |
| Not at all burdened | 16 | 5 |
| A little burdened | 44 | 13 |
| Somewhat burdened | 108 | 32 |
| Very burdened | 102 | 30 |
| Extremely Burdened | 72 | 21 |
| Hardship caused by student debt vs. hardship anticipated |
343 | |
| Much less hardship than anticipated | 17 | 5 |
|
Somewhat less hardship than
anticipated |
23 | 7 |
| Hardship was what I expected | 137 | 40 |
|
Somewhat more hardship than
anticipated |
123 | 36 |
|
Much more hardship than
anticipated |
43 | 13 |
| If they could start over, participants would borrow |
390 | |
| Much More | 1 | 0 |
| A little more | 5 | 1 |
| About the same | 212 | 54 |
| A little less | 121 | 31 |
| Much Less | 51 | 13 |
| Most influential factor determining job choice |
393 | |
| Location | 228 | 58 |
| Salary | 45 | 11 |
| Specialty | 44 | 11 |
|
Personal/Professional growth
opportunities |
31 | 8 |
| Other a | 16 | 4 |
| Co-workers | 11 | 3 |
| Institution/Company | 9 | 2 |
| Benefits | 6 | 2 |
| Location | 2 | 1 |
|
Paid continuing education
opportunities |
1 | 0 |
| Paid certification or licensing fees | 0 | 0 |
| Participant current work activity | 384 | |
| Working full-time | 352 | 92 |
| Working part-time | 21 | 5 |
| Working Full-time and part-time | 9 | 2 |
| Unemployed | 1 | 0 |
| Working, not for pay | 0 | 0 |
| In School | 0 | 0 |
| Prefer not to answer | 1 | 0 |
| Participant current work activity | 384 | |
| Working full-time | 352 | 92 |
| Working part-time | 21 | 5 |
| Working Full-time and part-time | 9 | 2 |
| Unemployed | 1 | 0 |
| Working, not for pay | 0 | 0 |
| In School | 0 | 0 |
| Prefer not to answer | 1 | 0 |
| If part-time, reason for working part-time |
21 | |
|
No full-time positions were
available |
11 | 52 |
| Family/Personal reasons | 9 | 43 |
| Other b | 1 | 5 |
| Pursuing another degree/career | 0 | 0 |
| Prefer not to answer | 0 | 0 |
| Satisfaction of genetic counseling education in regards to investment for personal growth provided |
398 | |
| Very Dissatisfied | 3 | 1 |
| Dissatisfied | 4 | 1 |
| Somewhat Dissatisfied | 7 | 2 |
| Neutral | 19 | 5 |
| Somewhat Satisfied | 66 | 17 |
| Satisfied | 146 | 37 |
| Very Satisfied | 153 | 38 |
| Satisfaction of genetic counseling education in regards to investment for career opportunities provided |
398 | |
| Very Dissatisfied | 8 | 2 |
| Dissatisfied | 14 | 4 |
| Somewhat Dissatisfied | 29 | 7 |
| Neutral | 22 | 6 |
| Somewhat Satisfied | 88 | 22 |
| Satisfied | 137 | 34 |
| Very Satisfied | 100 | 25 |
| Benefit of genetic counseling education vs. educational loans |
341 | |
| Not at all beneficial | 1 | 0 |
| A little beneficial | 20 | 6 |
| Somewhat beneficial | 62 | 18 |
| Very beneficial | 159 | 47 |
| Extremely beneficial | 99 | 29 |
a
Other included job availability and responsibilities
b
Other included starting private genetic counseling practice