Objectives To relate the dimensions of burnout and job satisfaction of nurses and compare the scores of the burnout dimensions and Job satisfaction of nurses in the hospitals and the Primary Health Care.

Methods Cross-sectional, correlation study, realised with 58 nurses in São Paulo. Data were collected through the Job Satisfaction score (S20/S23) and Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Results Of the 58 nurses, 89.7% were women, average age of the 36.5 years. The average time of work in the current job is 3.0 years. As for the study setting, 26 (44.8%) are of Hospital care and 32 (55.2%) of the Primary Health Care. By correlating the dimensions of burnout (exhaustion emotionally EE, DE Despersonalization and Conducting Professional-RP) with the Job Satisfaction (Satisfaction with the relationship hierarchical- SRH, satisfaction with work-physical environment SAFT and intrinsic satisfaction in the work- SIT) was observed: strong positive correlation between EE and DE (0.630), SRH and SAFT (0.637) and SRH and SIT (0.716); moderate positive correlation between SIT and SAFT (0.495); moderate negative correlation between EE and SRH (−0.473), EE and SAFT (−0.348) and EE and SIT (−0.459); weak negative correlation between ED and PR (- 0.239), DE and SRH (−0.202). In the comparison of the mean burnout dimensions (score 0–4), the largest EE scores (1.74), DE (0.95) and RP (3.18) were observed in the Primary care nurses. As for Job satisfaction (score 1–5) we identified that nurses of Hospital care have higher averages SRH (3.72), SAFT (3.70) and nurses of Primary Attention, the highest average SIT (3.88). Student’s t-test didn’t show significant difference (p = 0.035) only for RP.

Conclusion Nurses are partially satisfied with their work and with moderate levels of EE, low DE and a high level of RP; being the EE and DE negatively correlated with job satisfaction.