Nursing auxiliaries and nursing technicians: different professional categories and equivalent jobs

This is a qualitative study with the purpose of identifying and analyzing the differences between the work developed by nursing auxiliaries and nursing technicians. It relies on the theoretical framework concerning health care and nursing work and the Theory of Communicative Action. Information was collected by means of interviews in three hospitals and involved nursing auxiliaries, nursing technicians, nurses and physicians, totaling 32 statements. Results showed that auxiliaries and technicians perform a wide range of actions, including those which are usual for such categories, patient evaluation activities and complex procedures. All the statements indicated that there was no difference between the work done by nursing auxiliaries and that performed by nursing technicians, which allows for questioning the appropriateness of such work division.