[Nurses' professional satisfaction]

We carried out a study with 91 nurses, trying to find out about the feelings of these professionals regarding their satisfaction at work. We used the Work Satisfaction Assessment Questionnaire (WSAQ), drawn up and validated by Siqueira (1978) and adapted with the analysis of seven factors: General Satisfaction; Physical and Psychological Stress; "Status" of the Job; Location of the Company; Compensating Benefits; Recognition and Personal Development. Data showed nurses satisfied with their work, in its intrinsic aspects (Accomplishment, Recognition and Autonomy). The psychiatric nurses were the most mature, most experienced, showing a higher satisfaction level, whereas the pediatric nurses were the youngest, most inexperienced and presenting the highest level of dissatisfaction at work.