Abstract
Aim: The aim of this study is to explore children's depictions of nursing professionals, identifying shared and differential visual and symbolic elements as a function of gender, the period during which the drawing was made (pre-/postpandemic) and whether or not one has a relative who works in the same profession. Background: Drawing circumnavigates the limits imposed by literacy and gives a voice to children who are able to express their personal feelings and subconscious through the drawn object. Theories of social representations and identity strive to explore the way in which children perceive and value the role of nurses in society. Methods: With the question, 'what is nursing to you?' providing the foundation, qualitative visual analysis was performed based on bottom-up inductive logic, analysing 105 drawings through the software CAQDAS Atlas-ti. Results: Nine categories emerged that corresponded to uniform, typically used tools, represented functions, decorative elements, associated individuals, work setting and facial expression. Differences were identified as a function of the gender of the child respondent, familiarity with the profession and the period during which the drawing was made (pre-/postpandemic). Conclusion: The present research strives to contribute towards understanding of perceptions of nursing figures in the symbolic world of children, taking a more complete look at the view children have of nursing and the way in which they conceive and value healthcare and caring for health.