Analysis of prospective child development specialists' perceptions of the hospital environment.

Introduction: Hospitals are among the most important institutions providing healthcare services and contribute to public health through the coordination of various units. Although child development specialists also work in hospitals, this practice is generally unknown, because they are not directly involved in diagnosis and treatment processes, and therefore are not directly associated with healthcare services or the hospital environment. Methods: In the present study conducted with 30 students from the Child Development Department of Çankırı Karatekin University, Faculty of Health Sciences, changes in Child Development Department students' perceptions of the hospital environment before and after their hospital practice were investigated. The data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The comparison of their pre- and post-application drawings revealed that their perceptions of the hospital environment greatly changed, and their perspectives broadened. After the internship, their tendency to view the hospital as a child development specialist's workplace differed from their pre-implementation views, but not much. Discussion: It is recommended that the theoretical course content should be further enriched with topics on hospitals, diseases, and healthcare services before the internship, and that field trips to healthcare institutions should be organized as part of the course.