Exclusive, idiosyncratic and collective expertise in the interprofessional arena: the case of optometry and eye care in The Netherlands

Abstract This paper addresses expertise as the foundation of professional boundaries and domains through a comparative study of four eye care occupations in the Netherlands. Claims of expertise are explored with an analysis of whether practitioners believe that expertise is exclusive to their profession. Results show that (a) established professions display a stronger sense of the ‘exclusiveness’ of expertise; (b) idiosyncratic expertise is more common among encroaching professions than among established ones. These findings substantiate trends towards professionalism, as jurisdictional disput... Mehr ...