Date of Award

Spring 2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Genetic Counseling

First Advisor

Whitney Dobek

Abstract

Roleplays and standardized patients (SPs) are widely utilized and valued training tools in medical education. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a novel component of medical education, though its applications in genetic counseling remain underexplored. This study examined perceptions of genetic counseling students, recent graduates, and educators on chatbot artificial intelligence (chat-AI) as a SP in roleplay exercises. Eligible participants completed a survey requiring a roleplay interaction with ChatGPT. Standardized prompts included roleplay instructions and a framework based on the American Board of Genetic Counseling Practice-Based Competencies (PBCs) and the Reciprocal Engagement Model (REM) for chat-AI to provide feedback on the interaction. Participants reported familiarity with chat-AI, its perceived utility, and comparability to human SPs before and after the activity. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze responses. Of 40 responses, 35 (87.5%) met inclusion criteria and were analyzed; three additional respondents declined participation due to moral opposition to AI and were analyzed separately. Participants included second-year students (n=19), recent graduates (n=4), and faculty members (n=12). Among included respondents, 25 (71.4%) reported not routinely using chat-AI in daily life. Students and recent graduates reported post-roleplay that chat-AI was somewhat or highly comparable to a human SP (78.2%, n=18), representing a statistically significant increase from pre-roleplay responses (p < .001). Faculty responses showed no significant pre- to post-roleplay change (p = .674). Qualitative analysis identified four themes: (1) perceptions of chat-AI as a patient, (2) prompt interpretation by AI, (3) modality and timing limitations, and (4) perceived utility for educational skill development rather than counseling skill acquisition. Findings suggest that chat-AI may serve as a valuable supplemental educational tool in genetic counseling training, though it is not perceived as a replacement for human standardized patients for all aspects of training.

Rights

© 2026, Mary Claire Sherman

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