ABSTRACT Objectives: to evaluate the quality of life of nursing professionals who work in a central sterile processing department. Methods: a descriptive, quantitative, exploratory study, conducted with 82 nursing professionals working in the Central Sterile Processing Department of a University Hospital, from September to November 2017. A semi-structured instrument and the questionnaire “Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36” were used. Results: most of the participants were female, married, aged 31-40 years; 47.6% with 6-10 years of profession, and 82.9% reported working in CSPD for 1-5 years. The most affected quality of life domains were Pain, Vitality, General Health Status and Social Aspects. Conclusions: This study showed a need for rethinking and re-creating the labor dynamics in CSPD to improve the quality of life of these nursing professionals.