[Constructing knowledge about solid waste in health services in the education of health professionals]

The need to implement policies to manage solid residues in health services (SRHS) in different health institutions is unquestionable, considering the risks they pose to public health and the environmental degradation caused by them. In order to find out how knowledge about SRHS has been constructed in the education of the health professional, data were collected with semistructured interviews with students, professors and coordinators in four schools (Nursing and Obstetrics, Odontology, Veterinary Sciences, and Medicine) at a Higher Education Institution located in the south of Brazil. The data content and document analysis identified based on the Complexity Theory ideas, show the need for a teaching reform which should include new concepts, such as integrality, articulation, dialog, and problematization, in the Teaching Projects developed by those courses, so that future health professionals can construct their knowledge about solid residues with responsibility and commitment.