Helping you navigate your hospital stay

Prepare is a free online group program to support you to prepare for your hospital admission.

Being admitted to hospital can be a time of uncertainty. You will learn strategies to prepare for surgery, feel secure in hospital, and recover well.

Online Zoom session information

The session will run for 30 minutes, with time for questions.

  • Session 1: Preparing for hospital and communicating well.
    • Thursday and Friday, 10am
  • Session 2: Goals for recovery and stress relief at home.
    • Thursday and Friday, 11am

In this session we speak about practical issues to consider before you are admitted into hospital, strategies to help you communicate well with your treating team and how to set helpful expectations for yourself and your recovery.

Preparing for your stay: There is a lot to consider when you are preparing for hospital. We discuss the importance of asking questions and practical ways to prepare and plan before you are admitted.

Who is who in hospital? Every hospital is different. We want you to understand who will be caring for you and what their roles are.

Communicating well: We will provide tips and strategies to ensure you get the information that you need and are confident to work with your health care team during your stay.

Managing expectations: Having a flexible and open mindset helps resilience and coping. We discuss what to expect physically and emotionally.

Setting recovery goals: Goals help with your recovery; learn how to set goals that are S.M.A.R.T.

In this session we discuss the emotional impact of surgery and recovery. We look at ways to manage the emotional roller coaster so you feel a sense of calm and can thrive in recovery.

Reducing stress: Some stress is unavoidable when we face change. Learn strategies to understand and balance stress in life.

Emotions and health: Being unwell or having surgery is a new experience for some people. We talk about the emotional impact for you and your family and how to cope.

Helpful thinking: Our minds are powerful and the way we speak to ourselves makes a real difference. We will introduce tips and ideas to help you think straight at this time of change.

Thriving in recovery: At Macquarie University Hospital, we want you to recover well and to thrive. We'll provide tools and tips to support you in your recovery.

The Prepare program is a joint initiative of the MQ Health Psychology Clinic and MQ Health's Pre-admission Assessment Clinic.