Background and objective:
The growing demand for health professional qualifications and new skills for the job market has expanded the requirements and possibilities for specialist training. In this scenario, different postgraduate education modalities have emerged. This study aimed to raise the different formative, normative, and potential arrangements for specialist training for health professionals in Brazil.

Methods:
We carried out documentary research in which we consulted the legislation referring to the training and qualification of health professional specialists, including norms of regulatory councils of the following professions: dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and psychology.

Results:
In Brazil there are different modalities of postgraduate training, including specialization courses, residencies, masters, and doctorate degrees. These modalities are different in workload, pedagogical requirements, and credentials, which may or may not be recognized by the regulatory bodies of each profession. Title and professional registration show significant differences, without any standardization regarding the recognition of specialists, which vary from completing residency programs to proving work experience and title examination. However, professionals can freely exercise any specialty, regardless of registration by the regulatory body. There is also a significant difference in the number of specialties recognized by the respective regulatory bodies. Ranging from 13 for psychology, 55 for medicine, to 142 for nurses, defined independently of the actual need for health services.

Conclusions:
In Brazil, training for specialists includes different modalities, but most health professionals practice their specialty regardless of having a course and/or specialist title recognized by their regulatory body. Health activities require adequate training of professionals with a high degree of qualification and a profile suited to meet the health needs of the population. However, the different postgraduate modalities available and the requirements of the regulatory bodies are not always in tune with each other in order to meet societys demands and train qualified professionals.