The course starts with the basics: what is and isn't passed down through families, and why a condition that "runs in the family" isn't always genetic. It looks at how a shared environment, diet and lifestyle can create the appearance of an inherited condition, and why a parent who seems unaffected can still pass on a genetic condition to their child.

From there it builds the skill of recognising inherited conditions from a family tree, working through the main patterns of inheritance using familiar South African examples such as familial hypercholesterolemia, sickle cell disease and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A key theme is that an isolated case, with no obvious family history, doesn't rule out a genetic cause.

The course then moves to conditions that don't follow the usual rules - including those passed down through the mother's line (mitochondrial conditions), and situations where the same genetic change can cause very different conditions depending on which parent it came from. It also explores how genes and the environment interact, where a hidden genetic risk only causes problems once it's triggered by a medication, illness or other exposure. This leads into pharmacogenomics i.e. how a person's genetic make-up affects the way they respond to medicines, from pain relief and blood thinners to cancer treatments.

Then moving on to the ethical side of genetic testing, including consent and the implications a genetic test result can have for patients and their families.

A dedicated section focuses on genetics in South Africa, specifically: why the rich genetic diversity of African populations matters when interpreting test results, the distinct conditions seen in different South African communities, and the realities of testing and referral in a resource-limited setting.

The course closes with an overview of the genetic tests available today - what each one can and can't detect - along with newer technologies now entering practice. It ends with a review session, a chance to work through common questions, and a final assessment for extra CME credit.