Are We Ready? Preparing Nursing Students for a Genomics-Informed Future

In this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted, hosts Dr. Kellie Bryant and Dr. Raquel Bertiz talk with Dr. Deborah Himes and Dr. Cindy Snyder about the critical role of genomics in nursing education and practice. The guests emphasize that genomics is not a specialty but an essential part of everyday nursing, influencing risk assessment, treatment decisions, and patient outcomes. They share practical strategies for integrating genomics into curricula, such as using family history tools, case studies, and analogies to make complex concepts understandable for patients and students. The conversation highlights updated nursing competencies, available resources, and the importance of preparing nurses to meet national expectations for genomic literacy. The episode concludes by stressing that genomics, epigenetics, and pharmacogenomics shape how diseases are understood and treated, making it vital that all nurses are prepared to apply these concepts in practice.Learn more about genomics:International Society of Nurses in Genetics (ISONG) Genomics Education Resources Repository: https://www.isong.org/ed-resources-repositoryThis repository provides an extensive list of education and professional organizations for nurses/educators needing "self-guided learning" or resources in genomics.ISCC-PEG FAQ series: https://www.genome.gov/For-Health-Professionals/Provider-Genomics-Education-Resources/nursing-genomics-faqAmerican Nurses Association &  International Society of Nurses in Genetics (2025). Genomics Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 3rd Edition. https://www.nursingworld.org/nurses-books/ana-books/ebook-genomics-nursing-scope-and-standards-of-practice-3rd-editionNursing Genomics FAQs. The Nursing Genomics Project Group of the Inter-Society Coordinating Committee for Practitioner Education in Genomics (ISCC-PEG) created a Nursing Genomics FAQ to address how to integrate genomics into education and practice. www.genome.gov/For-Health-Professionals/Provider-Genomics-Education-Resources/nursing-genomics-faqLInking Nursing Knowledge And GEnomics (LINKAGE) is an online source with educational content about foundational genomic concepts in the context of nursing practice.Free content faculty can assign to students and faculty-only resources. https://linkage.trubox.ca/ Calzone, K. A., Stokes, L., Peterson, C., & Badzek, L. (2024). Update to the essential genomic nursing competencies and outcome indicators. Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 56(5), 729–741. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12993CPIC guidelines for pharmacogenomicshttps://cpicpgx.org/guidelines/ Public Health & Familial Hypercholesterolemia https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10506055/ OMIM “An Online Catalog of Human Genes and Genetic Disorders”https://www.omim.org/ Gene Reviews: Excellent overview of genetic and genomic conditions. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK5191/Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the leading organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. Find past episodes of the NLN Nursing EDge podcast online. Get instant updates by following the NLN on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. For more information, visit NLN.org.