Caught Between Care and Collapse: An Interpretive Qualitative Exploration of Burnout and Resilience Among Respiratory Therapists in Saudi Arabia

These findings suggest that RT burnout reflects not individual failure but a structural outcome of sustained strain and deficits in reciprocity. Burnout emerges as an institutional crisis in which therapists remain deeply committed to patient care while being pushed toward professional collapse by systemic neglect. Culturally informed, system-level interventions are urgently needed to preserve this essential workforce.