Introduction. Teaching guidelines and the pediatrics exercise must adequate to the health requirements of the population needs and country politics, taking in consideration the new tendencies in medical education, with the introduction of competencies in the specialists training programs. Aim. To identify the competencies transversal to all specialties training programs (CT), that are important for the Pediatrics Residency Program (PFEP) at the Chile University. Subjects and methods. Qualitative and interpretive study, performed between November 2006 and January 2007. Key persons were interviewed (6 residents, 6 graduates and 8 opinion leaders) about the relevance and achievement of six CT. Results. The interviewed highlighted the necessity of trained pediatricians in ambulatory settings and continuity clinics, the acquisition of competencies in emergency units and basic skills in hospital training. They considered that the current training is lacking of important CT such as bioethics, physician-patient and family communication, public health, team work and evidence based medicine. Teaching skills and practice management are part of the medical profession; they could be introduced as an elective activity. Conclusion. The acquisition of CT during the PFEP transcend beyond the traditional clinical competencies, it is a challenge to introduce them in the PFEP. © Viguera Editores SL 2009.