the development of specific professional competences from Medical Education, arises from the need to articulate the gap between teaching and services, with the purpose of establishing a balance between the needs of society and professionals to challenge scientific advances that prevail in health services. to define the systematization of performance as an axis that stimulates the development of specific professional competences. the systematization carried out, takes as referents the essentialities of the categories improvement and performance, for the development of specific professional competences in nursing care for the critically ill infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units, having as a theoretical basis the Education at work as a guiding principle in the training and development processes of health professionals. In addition, the systematization of performance is defined as a dynamic axis for the development of competences. the systematizations exposed during the analysis carried out, show essential elements that stimulate the development of specific professional competencies, and contextualize in nursing care the critical neonate in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units.