Healthcare Workers Between Humanitarian Duty and Work Pressures: Suffering and Resilience

Abstract

Healthcare workers globally face an unprecedented paradox: while committed to their humanitarian duty to heal and care for others, they simultaneously endure increasing work pressures that threaten their physical and psychological wellbeing. This paper examines the complex interplay between professional calling and systemic constraints within healthcare systems, exploring how these tensions manifest as both suffering and resilience among healthcare professionals. Through an analysis of contemporary literature and empirical evidence, we investigate the mechanisms of moral injury, burnout, and compassion fatigue, while simultaneously examining the adaptive strategies and resilience factors that enable healthcare workers to continue their vital work. The findings reveal that while work pressures create significant psychological burden, healthcare workers demonstrate remarkable capacity for resilience through meaning-making, social support, and professional identity reinforcement. Understanding this duality is crucial for developing effective interventions that support healthcare worker wellbeing while preserving the humanitarian essence of healthcare practice.