Introduction:

Nuclear Medicine is a medical specialty that treats or diagnoses different conditions through functional-molecular images, using unsealed sources. An important aspect in professional performance is the proper management of substances that may be harmful.

Objective:

to support the conceptual structure of the radioactive waste management competence.

Methods:

a bibliographic review was carried out with a reflective critical analysis, normative documents of the activity in Nuclear Medicine, theses, articles, and books, published since 2018 in Spanish and English, were considered. The search was carried out in the SciELO databases from January to May 2023. The keywords used were competencies, management and radioactive waste. 73 texts were reviewed and 20 were selected to make up the final text.

Results:

four topic cores were defined: relevance of training professional competencies, theoretical-methodological base, legal base and risks and implications. The insufficient theoretical-methodological treatment of waste management as an activity of Nuclear Medicine technologists is evident. The definition of the competence, the contextual problems it addresses, procedural axes, performance criteria and required evidence are proposed.

Conclusions:

the study of professional competencies in health technologists is a field of notable validity aimed at developing their professionalization. The evident relationship established between radioactive waste management competence and the reduction of risks and accidents entails the responsibility of training professionals prepared to perform successfully in Nuclear Medicine.

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