My Career Plans
As you will know if you’ve read my other posts, I am a neuroscience and psychology double major planning on attending medical school next year. I thought I would briefly discuss my future career plans so that you can understand how my time at Vanderbilt and beyond fits into the larger picture.
Broadly, my career goal is to work with people dealing with substance use disorders. Growing up in a rural area of Kentucky, I saw a lot of people affected, whether directly or indirectly, by the opioid crisis in the area. This experience really stuck with me and built a great deal of compassion in me for people in those situations. Ever since, I’ve had a desire to work with people in that position. My passion persisted into college and, coupled with my interest in mental health and wellbeing, it led me to study psychology and neuroscience.
Upon completing medical school, I want to be a psychiatrist specializing in substance use disorders. Beyond this, I’m considering pursuing a Master’s in Public Health as well so that I can hopefully get involved in the advocacy side of the issue. In particular, I’ve developed an interest in working in the criminal justice system alongside those who are incarcerated on the basis of non-violent drug offenses. While this idea still needs to be fleshed out, my passion for justice in this respect definitely makes it an intriguing possibility for the future.
Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions regarding being pre-med, studying psychology/neuroscience, or life at Vanderbilt in general, feel free to contact me at alex.rains@vanderbilt.edu.