Hello and welcome to this podcast !
Today we are proposing to you to discover two interviews of women who were initially nurses and who decided to opt for a professional reconversion towards the profession of Developmental Psychologist. You will discover through their testimonies that in spite of their family situation and the years spent working in their professional field, they did not hesitate to launch this reconversion in order to find their professional and personal fulfillment. Let’s go to the interview!
Hello Virginie
Can you introduce yourself ? I suggest you introduce yourself ? your family, your job, your life
So, I’m Virginie. I’m 40 years old. I’m married and I have two daughters. They are thirteen and ten years old. So, I have one daughter in high school and the other in elementary school. I have been a nurse for about fifteen years and I had the chance to work with different publics: children, teenagers, adults, elderly people. At the hospital or within other associations. It is only since three years that I have made the choice to resume university studies in order to obtain the title of psychologist.
Ah yes, but then why did you make this choice of professional reconversion?
During my professional practice as a nurse I have always been more attracted by the relational dimension compared to the technical aspect of care. I was frustrated not to be invested more in the psychological dimension of patients. That’s why I wanted to become a psychologist. I find it exciting to work with children and teenagers.Also I think it’s important to interfere in to their developmental trajectory. It’s necessary to accompany and to support their parents as well.
But then what were your steps for this reconversion and did you meet difficulties?
Oh yes! It was really difficult in the beginning! Thanks to my nursing diploma and my experience, I was able to enter directly into the third year of my bachelor’s degree by means of a validation of professional experience file. Ok, it’s cool I gained two years of study but I worked a lot to get up to speed in the different teaching units (statistics, English, neurobiology…). Really my first few months in License 3 were the most difficult. I was discovering college at thirty-seven years old and after more than fifteen years of not studying, I had to succeed in memorizing all the knowledge required. I also had to juggle my family and professional life. After a few months I got into the rhythm and stopped my professional activity in order to devote myself entirely to my reconversion. I went on to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2019 and am currently in my Master’s 2 in Developmental Psychology.
Why did you decide to specialize in development?
I think that my professional experience with children and teenagers as well as my experience as a parent with my daughters really made me want to specialize in this audience. Indeed, developmental psychology allows me to study the different stages of development of the child and the adolescent on the socio-affective, conative, language, motor and cognitive levels. Thus, I found it fascinating to receive different currents of psychology (cognitivist, psychoanalytic, systemic…) in order to shed light on the developmental dynamics of the subjects encountered within their environment and with their family and entourage. Thus, I could develop an integrative approach in my future professional practice. This means that I would adapt my practice according to the person I would receive in order to have a more global and non-restrictive vision of the problems and the solutions to bring.
Within a few months you will obtain your title of psychologist, do you know what sector you want to work in?
I am interested in the early childhood and disability sector. So I want to work in institutions that welcome this public. In a few years I would like to develop a freelance activity. Thus, I would like to train in cognitive and behavioral therapies, EMDR and hypnosis in order to have various techniques to propose and adapt to the subjects I would meet.
Finally, in 3 words how would you describe your adventure of reconversion?
So I would say that this adventure is exciting, rewarding and has really allowed me to push my limits.
Thank you Virginie, now we will discover another woman who also lives this same project of reconversion ;
First of all, could you please introduce yourself?
My name is Charlotte, I am 33 years old and I am the mother of a 20 months old girl. I have been a nurse in psychiatry for more than 10 years and I am currently studying for 2 years at the University of Nantes. Today, I am in master 1 of developmental psychology.
Can you explain us why you decided to reconvert?
First of all, I have been interested in psychology since I studied nursing. I liked taking care of psychiatric patients but the relational aspect attracted me much more than the technical aspect of nursing. I wanted to go deeper into their problems with them and help them find solutions for a better well-being. I loved to attend the interviews with the psychiatrists. I have always been passionate about childhood. I had already chosen to do internships with them when I was in nursing school. My choice of reconversion is really the best way to bring together everything I like!
Concretely, how do you organize yourself to reconcile your life as a wife, mother and student?
It is a question of organization. You have to be able to divide your time between your different functions and missions. For example, when I arrive at 6 :00 p.m., I know that the next two hours will be devoted exclusively to my family. Later in the evening, I can go back to my classes, work on texts, etc. And finally, at noon, I like to take this time just for me, to go home and relax.
Would you advise a professional reconversion? Do you have any advice to give to people who would not dare to take the step of going back to school?
Of course! It is an exceptional adventure ! It’s tiring but I’m convinced I made the right choice. If I had any advice to give, it would be to not wait any longer and to go for it. The risk is that it becomes even harder to learn new things as you get older. When you have a family, you just have to agree with your partner and take the time to talk about it seriously.
Do you have an idea of a field in which you would like to specialize?
For the moment, I don’t know yet. I would like to work with children, teenagers and parents, that’s for sure. I’ll give myself the opportunity to decide as I do the internships.
To conclude, in 3 words, how would you describe your career change adventure?
Dense, rewarding and tiring !
Thank you very much for listening to us and we hope that we may have given you the idea, the passion and the courage to embark on your own career transition!