Essential nursing competencies and curricula guidelines for genetics and genomics.

Genomics is a central science for nursing practice. Essentially all diseases and conditions have a genetic or genomic component. In the future, individuals and families seeking care will increasingly have to make decisions that involve both genetics and genomics in the areas of health promotion and disease prevention, screening, diagnosis, selection of treatment, and evaluating treatment effectiveness. Nurses will definitely need certain minimum competencies in the areas of genetics and genomics in order to practice effectively in the 21st century. An independent panel of nurse leaders developed a draft document, shared it with other experts, the nursing community at large, and organizational representatives from key stakeholder groups. Selected portions of the resulting document, developed by consensus, are presented here.