Abstract
Previous research has examined burnout in social workers and other helping professions, however, there is little research regarding burnout in “direct care” workers, or those who work directly with clients and tend to have less experience and education. This research examined the effect of demographic factors such as age, experience, gender, and degree level on burnout rates, as well as the effect of social support and self-care on burnout. Twenty-nine participants from two social service agencies in the Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota area completed an online survey. Results showed that none of the variables studied appeared to have an effect on burnout. The researcher attributes small sample size and convenience sampling to these results. Further research should examine the burnout rates of direct care workers, as well as workers in all professions, and should examine whether mezzo and macro factors contribute to burnout rates.