Ermence Zephir, Hospital Director, Human Resources Manager (Digne-Les-Bains Hospital)

After a Bachelor’s degree in Law in La Réunion, Ermence Zephir enrolled in a two-year Master’s in Public Law - Management in the Health, Social and Medico-Social Sector (C3S) at UPPA, a multifaceted programme that steered her towards the senior civil service in the hospital sector. 

What were the main stages in your university career? 

Originally from La Réunion, I began my studies with a Bachelor’s degree in Law. At the end of third year, I started to think about my career and what jobs I could envisage. I was interested in public law and I wanted to work in the field of solidarity and health to preserve a link with the social side of things. I looked for master’s courses that best matched my expectations, and Public Law - Management in the Health, Social and Medico-Social Sector (C3S) at UPPA came top of the list: it allowed me to continue my legal studies while benefiting from much more operational training (finance, management, human resources, quality, etc.) with contributions from many professionals from the field. These two years at UPPA confirmed my desire to work in the public hospital sector. They also inspired me to do another second-year Master’s at the General Administration Preparatory Institute (IPAG) at the University of Montpellier. In 2018, I passed the competitive exam to become a hospital administration manager and director of social and medico-social healthcare establishments. I then enrolled at EHESP School of Public Health in Rennes for a two-year, practical course before taking up my first position as Deputy Director and Head of Human Resources at the Hospital of Cavaillon, in 2021. I spent two years in Cavaillon, where I was Deputy Director of Human Resources for the Cavaillon and Avignon hospitals. For over a year now, I've been Deputy Director and Human Resources Manager at the Digne-Les-Bains hospital (1,100 staff), the support establishment for its regional hospital grouping. 

What memories do you have of the UPPA campus in Pau? 

Coming from La Réunion, I really appreciated the moderate size of the campus: not too big, not too small! I had never heard of Pau before. Most students who studied in mainland France went to the major University cities: Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris, etc. UPPA’s campus hosts a wide range of training courses, has a dynamic student life and is close to the city. Personally, I found the setting reassuring. In terms of studies, I found the C3S Master’s very demanding in the first few months. This was due in particular to the fact that some of the students came from the Healthcare and Social Work Degree and had a head start. But rest of us quickly caught up and the demanding nature of the course in both first and second year stood us in good stead for competitive exams.  

What words do you spontaneously associate with UPPA? 

Close contact with the teaching team.

The high standards and quality of the C3S Master's degree

What advice would you give to a young person starting a course at UPPA?

I'd advise them to go for this Master's degree, which is perfectly suited to the needs of the health, social and medico-social sector. It gives you a solid grounding in a range of specialisms, from finance to quality to civil service law... Without being an expert, you have a global vision that enables you to tackle all the complexities of the sector. With hindsight, I'd also say keep calm and don’t get stressed by the sheer volume of work. By working steadily over the two years, you can do it! Another important point is not to neglect preparation for competitive examinations, as this really increases your chances of success. 

Want to find out more about C3S Master’s at UPPA?

Master C3S