On a genetics service, the Genetics Nurse supports patients and families navigating inherited conditions, genetic testing decisions, and the implications of results — pre- and post-test counseling, coordination with genetic counselors and physicians, family communication, and the patient education complex genetics requires.
Genetics Nurse pay typically runs $79K–$108K at this level, and jobs in this field are projected to grow 5% through 2034. The next title up is often Senior Genetics Nurse.
A typical day tends to involve patient intake and pedigree review, pre-test counseling, sample coordination, post-test result discussions, family member outreach when cascade testing is appropriate, and the detailed documentation genetics care requires. The work moves slowly compared to acute care — appointments are longer, decisions take time, and results have lifelong implications.
Coordination spans geneticists, genetic counselors, ordering physicians, lab teams, and patients along with their family members. The hardest part is often the conversations about implications — a positive result for an adult-onset condition, a finding that affects family members, the uncertainty of variants of unknown significance. Genetic literacy varies dramatically among patients.
Genetics nurses who tend to thrive are clinically curious, patient with complex conversations, comfortable with uncertainty and family dynamics, and willing to keep learning as the field evolves rapidly. The schedule tends to be more predictable than acute nursing, with limited on-call. If you find meaning in patients and families understanding what their genetics actually mean for their lives, the role can be quietly significant in a rapidly changing specialty.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Healthcare roles →On a genetics service, the Genetics Nurse supports patients and families navigating inherited conditions, genetic testing decisions, and the implications of results — pre- and post-test counseling, coordination with genetic counselors and physicians, family communication, and the patient education complex genetics requires.
Median pay for a Genetics Nurse is about $94K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $66K to $135K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 4.9% through 2034, with roughly 3.3 million people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Senior Genetics Nurse, Charge Nurse, and Cardiac Care Unit Nurse (CCU Nurse).
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