Semi Profession and New Professionalism in the Health Care Labour Market. The Case of Italian Healthcare Assistants

• Author: Spina, E.
• Position: Research assistant at Università Politecnica delle Marche, Departement of Economic and Social Science, Research member of Interdepartmental Research Centre on Socio-Health (CRISS)
• Pages: 41-48

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 6 (55) No. 1 - 2013

SEMI PROFESSION AND NEW

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE HEALTH

CARE LABOUR MARKET.

THE CASE OF ITALIAN

HEALTHCARE ASSISTANTS

Elena SPINA1

Abstract: A new occupational profile has come into being in many

European countries since the 70s in order to carry out tasks of primary care.

The role of “healthcare assistant” officially came into being in 2001 in Italy.

As research findings suggest, it cannot be considered as a profession and

perhaps not even as a semi-profession. What seems interesting in the Italian

case is its hybridization, which represents an occupational trait for Italian

healthcare assistant.. They are working in context in which professionalism

has changed and therefore with a slight break from the well-established

professions.

Key words: healthcare assistant, semi-profession, new professionalism,

hybridization, socio-health bureaucracies.

1 Research assistant at Università Politecnica delle Marche, Departement of Economic and Social Science.

Research member of Interdepartmental Research Centre on Socio-Health (CRISS).

1. Introduction

A new occupational profile has been

created within the socio-health systems of

many European countries since 1970. The

new occupation provides basic care to

patients within a context of rationalization,

reorganization, downsizing of the wel fare

systems and the professionalization of

nursing.

National pathways leading to the

creation of this occupation are very

different, despite some common elements.

If the primary reason seems to be the

same, many different choices have been

made by different countries concerning

training, work settings and the

professional representation system.

The healthcare assistant (called

“Operatore socio-sanitario” or OSS) has

taken a regulatory definition since 2000s

in Italy. However, big differentiation is

made among regions: on the one hand,

this role could respond to diverse

territorial needs, while, on the other, i t

can limit the development of a corporative

identity.

Moreover, working in both the social

and health care sector, the Italian OSS

finds it difficult to develop a sense of

belonging that can compromise the

possibility to plan corporative strategies