Family Surgery Program

Our Family Surgery Program allows a parent to stay in the operating room until anesthesia takes effect. To familiarize parents and children facing surgery with hospital personnel, equipment and routines, a preoperative teaching program is available, as well as a slide presentation with simple, concrete information geared to our younger audience. The program is complemented by a medical play session, where children can familiarize themselves with medical equipment. Teenagers may ask for a preparation booklet to help them feel more comfortable with hospitalization.

Children who need surgery are usually anxious about it.  The Family Surgery Program at The Goryeb Children’s Hospital at Morristown Memorial and Overlook Hospitals can help prepare your child for surgery, and can take some of the stress and anxiety out of the hospital stay for both of you.

This innovative program -- the first of its kind in New Jersey -- has been helping make the surgical experience a little easier for parents and children for more than a decade. 

Our Family Surgery Program familiarizes you and your child with the operating room as you learn what to expect before, during and after surgery.  We create a unique, relaxed and non-threatening atmosphere to encourage children to communicate their feelings about hospitalization and develop a sense of security and mastery. 

As part of the Family Surgery Program, Morristown Memorial and Overlook Hospitals offer several pre-admission teaching programs for children, teens and their families.