The profession of physicians' assistant was introduced in the 1960s to assist with physician shortages in the United States of America. Since then, some countries have introduced this profession to fill the gaps that exist in the physician shortages problem in their health care system. Yet, in many countries like Trinidad and Tobago, this role remains absent from the health care system. The objective of this study was to assess how professionalization supports the introduction of the physicians' assistant role in Trinidad and Tobago. Using the theory of profession as a theoretical framework, and through an evaluation of institutional, regulatory, and cultural norms and barriers associated with the health care system of Trinidad and Tobago, the role of jurisdiction, societal factors, professional competition, and legitimization was assessed using a qualitative, ethnographic design, with 22 participants. The data collection tools included a questionnaire and structured interview and content analysis of relevant documents to yield the data from which conclusions may be drawn. The results showed that jurisdiction, societal changes, interprofessional competition and legitimization can all influence the introduction of physicians' assistants. Evidence from this research may provide health care administrators with important information to assess the feasibility of the introduction of this vital role to improve patient care on the islands.

Studiens forskningsgap visas genom mångtydigheten som råder kring specialpedagogensuppdrag och arbetsuppgifter, vilket medför och ökar utbytbarheten i den specialpedagogiskayrkesprofessionen. Tidigare forskning visar att ramfaktorer såsom rektorns ledarskap ochkunskap om specialpedagogens uppdrag, påverkar vilka arbetsuppgifter och ansvarsområdensom tillfaller specialpedagoger i grundskolan. Syftet med studien är därmed att synliggöraramfaktorer som styr specialpedagogens ansvarsområden i grundskolans systematiskakvalitetsarbete och på så sätt rama in specialpedagogens profession. För detta användessemistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod, innefattandes fyra rektorer och femspecialpedagoger från fyra olika grundskolor. Den teoretiska ansatsen i studiens analys utgickfrån professionsteorin. Resultat och analys visar att specialpedagog tillhör benämningsemiprofession utifrån bland annat sin tvärvetenskapliga utbildning och begränsade autonomigenom skolans styrdokument, rektors ledarskap och organisatorisk struktur i grundskolansverksamhet. Analysen visar vidare att specialpedagogens tvärvetenskapliga kunskap möjliggörflexibilitet för hur specialpedagogers kompetens kan prioriteras i det systematiskakvalitetsarbetet samt ökar möjlighet för samsyn i den tvärprofessionella samverkan i detsystematiska kvalitetsarbetet. Studiens slutsats är att de främsta ramfaktorer som styrspecialpedagogens ansvarsområden i grundskolans systematiska kvalitetsarbete ärstyrdokument, ledarskap och organisation i kvalitetsarbetet. Vidare dras slutsats att trotsspecialpedagogens flexibla och mångfacetterade kompetens, skulle professionen gynnas av ettförtydligande av specialpedagogens uppdrag som i sin tur skulle kunna minskaspecialpedagogens utbytbarhet. / This studies research gap is shown by the ambiguity revolving around the special educationneeds coordinators (SENCO) work tasks and assignments, causing, and increasing theinterchangeability of the profession. Prior research has shown that frame factors as the headteachers’ leadership and knowledge of the SENCOs tasks, affects which assignments and areaof responsibility are assigned to SENCOs in primary school. The aim of this study is to visibilizethe frame factors determining the responsibilities of SENCOs in the primary schools’ systematicquality work, and thereby frame the profession of SENCO. The data was collected though semistructuredinterviews including four head teachers and five SENCOs from four differentprimary schools. The studies theoretical approach was based on the theory of profession.Results and analysis show that SENCO belongs to the term semi-profession due to theirinterdisciplinary education and autonomy limited by the schools’ governing documents, thehead teachers’ leadership, and the organizational structure in the primary schools’ activities.The analysis also show that the SENCOs’ interdisciplinary knowledge enables flexibility tohow SENCOs’ expertise can be prioritized in the schools’ systematic quality work. Following,this increases the opportunity for consensus within the interprofessional cooperation in thesystematic quality work. The conclusion of the study is that the most outstanding frame factorsdetermining SENCOs responsibilities in the primary schools’ systematic quality work aregoverning documents, leadership, and the organization of the primary schools’ activities.Furthermore, the study concludes that even if the expertise of SENCO can be described asflexible and versatile, the profession would benefit from a clarification of the tasks which coulddecrease the interchangeability of SENCO.