G eorgia College senior psychology major Rachel McQuinn opened her mind to new career possibilities she never considered before. At her summer internship, she cares for patients at the Bradley Center’s Intake Center of St. Francis Hospital—a psychiatric residency in Columbus, Georgia. 

“When I chose this internship, I felt like it was going to be a part of psychology that I never let myself explore,” she said. “I thought I would personally carry people’s struggles home with me, but that’s not the case.”

McQuinn never considered therapy and clinical psychology as potential career paths until now.

“I know when our patients leave here, we've helped them all we can,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for me to explore these fields as a possible career.”

McQuinn didn’t waste any time landing her internship. She started interning at the Bradley Center the Monday after she completed spring semester. Her internship counts as two classes or six credit hours in psychology.

“I had to start pretty quickly, so I could get the 240 hours I need during the summer,” McQuinn said.

The Bradley Center is a crisis stabilization facility used to treat individuals of all ages who have active addictions and/or mental health issues. McQuinn chose this internship so she could work more closely with patients and learn how to help them.  

Her duties include taking patients’ vital signs to ensure they’re stable enough to be admitted, observing intake assessments and reviewing intake referrals to place patients with behavioral health issues at other facilities. McQuinn prepares the faxed referrals to be presented and attends the meetings in which the referrals are reviewed and discussed.  

Her favorite part of her internship is knowing that every patient can receive help to make changes in their lives. 

“I've never considered a clinical route before now,” McQuinn said. “This experience made me rethink my entire career path, because I love it so much. It's such a unique opportunity that it's really opened my eyes to what I could truly get out of a psychology bachelor's degree, master's degree in clinical or behavioral psychology and possibly a doctorate.”

The patients who impact her the most at the Bradley Center are children and teenagers.

“Every patient is important to me, and I fight for everyone I have,” she said. “But the kids and teenagers have touched my heart the most. I feel like if you can intervene early on, then later, they have the tools they need to be more equipped to handle crisis, stress or anxiety in their lives.”

McQuinn has thought about becoming a child and family psychiatrist. But, for now, she remains flexible about her career path. What she knows for sure is she wants to help people.

With her internship more than half over, McQuinn especially enjoys learning something new every day.

“I am very grateful to The Bradley Center of St. Francis for this amazing opportunity. It's been extremely rewarding,” she said. “I love that when I leave every day, I know we've helped every person who has come through the door. Even if a patient doesn’t meet the inpatient criteria, they're either given outpatient care or referred to a therapist. So, each person who enters our facility will leave with some guidance.”