Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of the use of music and imagery on burnout in Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) in skilled nursing facilities. Burnout is a condition of decreased job performance resulting from increased stress in the workplace. The study attempted to examine whether music therapy would decrease burnout symptoms and whether there would be a greater decrease of burnout symptoms in the music therapy group than the non-music group. In this quasi-experimental study, the researcher used a small convenience sample of CNAs from a long-term skilled nursing facility. Participants met for three sessions over a five-week period. The CNAs were divided into an experimental group (Group A) using a music relaxation intervention and a control group (Group B) with silence. Both groups were given instructions by the Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) with instructions for breathing and imagery. The study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) with a pretest/posttest design measuring burnout symptoms at the beginning of the first session and the end of the last session. Results indicate there was no statistically significant difference in the MBI scores in Group A from the pretest in week one to the posttest in week five. There was also no statistically significant difference in the MBI posttest results between Group A and Group B. Experimental observations and suggestions for future research using music therapy to address burnout are discussed.
