Areas of competency: professional core and field as axes for health management and training

Abstract This article addresses the discussion about areas of competency in work management and health training processes. Methodologically, this is an integrative review carried out in specialized databases from 2012 to 2022. A sample of 20 articles showed the presence of two typologies in the representation of health professional profiles: domains and areas of competency. A tendency to use areas of competency was observed in the sample, and the concepts of field and core and Activity Theory were employed in the discussion of the results, considering the explanation of: (i) guiding axes for training and work management; (ii) professional activities according to predominant rationalities and best practices; and (iii) connections between the individual and collective dimensions of competency.