Background The 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes placed an immense psychosocial burden on healthcare workers. This study explores the experiences of professionals navigating a profound "dual role" paradox, functioning simultaneously as traumatized disaster survivors and active medical responders. Understanding their resource mobilization across individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels is crucial for future post-disaster mental health strategies.Methods A qualitative approach was employed using in-depth interviews with 33 frontline healthcare workers (paramedics/EMTs, nurses, emergency physicians, and psychosocial staff) active in the immediate aftermath. Data were evaluated via thematic analysis and interpreted through the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM).Results The sample (mean age: 32.00 ± 5.33) primarily comprised pre-hospital emergency personnel (n = 16, 48.5%). Emphasizing the dual-role dynamic, one hundred percent worked continuously for over 72 hours acutely, despite their homes sustaining mild damage. Thematic analysis identified three main themes: Psychological Resilience, Social and Communal Support, and Occupational Coping Strategies. Workers experienced severe occupational role conflict, ethical distress, and security vulnerabilities. Despite the psychological toll, participants exhibited significant post-traumatic growth and psychological flexibility. Family bonds, collegial solidarity, and community support emerged as primary survival anchors.Conclusions Integrating SEM with the survivor-responder framework, this study demonstrates that disaster resilience is a multidimensional outcome shaped by personal, interpersonal, and organizational interactions. Moving beyond individual-centric approaches, these findings offer policymakers and crisis managers strategic value for developing multi-layered support systems addressing the unique role conflicts of healthcare professionals in future disasters.