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

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.