Introduction:
Occupational burnout, is a frequently studied phenomenon due to its prevalence and effects, which occurs especially among people whose job requires empathic contact with others and engagement in their affairs. Medical assistant is just such a profession. Three dimensions of the syndrome are exhaustion, depersonalization and inefficacy. The results of burnout are lowered quality of work and job satisfaction, problems in private life, fatigue, anxiety, decreased immunity and various somatic problems. In the article, a group of medical assistants was examined to assess the scale of burnout and identify its relationship with personality traits and stress coping styles.

Material and Methods:
Forty-one women, medical assistants trained in a school for medical assistants, were subjected to four surveys: a sociodemographic survey, NEO-FFI Personality Inventory, CISS Questionnaire and Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Results:
The results achieved by the studied group according to the Maslach Burnout Inventory were lower than average, compared to Polish research standards. A relationship was observed between some coping styles and burnout dimensions – between exhaustion and social diversion, as well as between inefficacy and task-oriented style of coping, avoidanceoriented style of coping, social diversion. Another relationship was found between personality traits and burnout dimensions – emotional exhaustion, inefficacy and extraversion, as well as between exhaustion, depersonalization and agreeableness; also all three burnout dimensions were associated with conscientiousness.

Conclusions:
Knowledge of the correlation between personality and burnout may allow better targeting of prevention activities and improve occupational functioning