Changing connections between professionalism and managerialism: a case study of nursing in Portugal

TitleChanging connections between professionalism and managerialism: a case study of nursing in Portugal
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsCarvalho, T
JournalJournal of Professions and Organization
Volume1
Start Page176
Issue2
Pagination176–190
Date Published01 August 2014
Abstract

Over the last three decades New Public Management, with the redefinition of the central roles of the state and the withdrawal of state financial support to health care, has radically altered the landscape of hospital provision in Portugal. Within this context it is usually suggested that the redefinition of state and public organization, based on managerialism norms and values, questions welfare professions’ traditional professionalism. Nurses are a relevant group for analysis since their professionalization process has been highly dependent on doctors, and centred on care principles. In this context, it is relevant to analyse how nurses are facing the new environment while maintaining their traditional professionalism. This article presents some findings from a qualitative study in Portugal. Based on interviews with 103 nurses with managerial responsibilities in public hospitals, one found that nurses develop hybrid professionalism by simultaneously incorporating and reconfiguring the professional traditional norms and values and the organizations’ dominant discourses and norms.

URLhttps://academic.oup.com/jpo/article-abstract/1/2/176/2841050?redirectedFrom=fulltext
DOI10.1093/jpo/jou004

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