ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the predictors associated with sick leave from 15 days onwards among Nursing professionals of an emergency hospital service. Method: A cross-sectional, retrospective, and descriptive-analytical study. The sample consists of the records of sick leave (n=2,403) due to diseases of the Nursing professionals (n=197) working in an emergency hospital service in southern Brazil, from 2013 to 2018. Descriptive and statistical analysis was used, as well as the multivariate regression model. Results: There was predominance of females (72.6%), white-skinned (86.3%), with a mean age of 45.05 (SD=9.77) years old, and nursing technicians (74.6%). The prevalent cause of sick leave was related to clinical diseases (62.5%). The predictors associated with sick leave from 15 days onwards were the following: Age (OR: 0.97; 95% CI=0.95-0.99) and Musculoskeletal Diseases (OR: 8.95; 95% CI=5.30-15.11). Conclusion: Age and musculoskeletal diseases were predictors of sick leave from 15 days onwards of the Nursing team.