he problem of aging at work has been discussed at national and international levels, given its impact on productivity and the management of public policies on worker health. To verify the association between chronological aging, work ability for work and productivity in nursing workers, and to understand the expectations of nursing workers aged 45 years or older about chronological aging and work capacity. Epidemiological study of a cross-sectional study, with a quantitative-qualitative approach, developed at a Public Hospital in the state of São Paulo, with nursing team workers aged 45 and over. The quantitative data were collected through a form containing sociodemographic and professional data, a questionnaire on Work Ability Index and a questionnaire on work productivity in activities: general health V 2.0; and the qualitative data were collected through an individual interview with the nursing workers where they were transcribed and submitted to the discourse analysis technique proposed by Minayo (2014). 264 workers were elected and of these, 211 (79.9%) participated in the study. The mean age was 53 years (dp = 4.3 years), 188 (89.1%) women, 57.8% married or with a partner, 50.7% with higher education level. The average time in the nursing profession was 25.5 years (dp = 6.6 years), 65.4% worked as a nurse assistant and technician, 54% had a family income from nine minimum wages (R $ 8.4433,00). The average of the Work Ability Index score was considered good, with 37.8 points, but 41.7% with a Capacity Index for inadequate work. The predominant health problems were musculoskeletal diseases. Productivity showed an average score of 24.7% for "damage to daily activities due to health", 22.7% for "total work injury due to health" and 21.2% for "presentism". There was a statistically significant association between productivity and work capacity (p <0.001) where productivity is among those with inadequate capacity (moderate and low). In the analysis of the qualitative data, three categories were constructed where the participants perceive their aging, their limitations and are concerned with their physical problems; believe that they can no longer produce, are afraid of dependence, and a desire and satisfaction to carry on their activities; a feeling of sadness when they think about preparing themselves, planning their aging, they worry, but they do not want to think about it. , some workers intend to stop working, but others wanted to continue working. Only a few had a perspective of planning and preparing for their aging. It is important to identify the profile of nursing workers in the aging phase so that the Institutions promote strategies and interventions aimed at this age group to prevent early retirement and promote a better longevity.