Thinking of quality of life (QV) of the professional nurse and his/her work relationships makes us contemplate about the importance that professional represents, as well as the several factors interfering on their QV. OBJECTIVE: To investigate nurse’s view about QV related to work. METHODS: This paper is based on a quantitative, qualitative approach performed in a médium size school hospital in a city in South Brazil on June 2003. It enclosed 26 nurses who gave their opinion about that matter through an open questionnaire, filled in during their working shift. RESULTS: The results obtained indicate that the constructo QV, under the view of the interviewees relates to several factors, among them, health, both individual and family welfare, leisure, education, home, both personal and professional satisfaction, working conditions and financial points. CONCLUSION: At the end of the study it was verified that the work has a relevant meaning in these professionals’ QV, it is singular in each ones life, having been attributed several values in the search of a better life condition and being healthy, of social conviviality and subjectivity. Looking for the so dreamed QV, 66% of the interviewees work in two or more shifts and 80,7% of them have more than one job.