Medical personnel frequently face situations emotionally exhausting which are related to pain, illness processes and death. Such situations are cited as the main reasons for the increase of medical personnel vulnerability to suffer from stress-related symptomatology, such as burnout syndrome and other health-related problems. In recent times, a great deal of research about this syndrome has been carried out. This has led into the evolution of this term. Nevertheless, the burnout syndrome, outside the academic environment, is still associa- ted with simple labour stress, and thus its relevance is treated with contempt. Underestimating this concept has brought as consequence, the distortion of the strategies and methods used to detect the factors intervening in the appearance and acquisition of the syndrome. Taking into account these consi- derations, this study pretends to describe the concept from its original meaning, and suggest some recommendations in order to keep formulating the construct.