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Let's Talk About Going to the Hospital

Date: 1976
Series: Let's Talk About It

Mister Rogers opens by having a conversation with Daniel Tiger about what a hospital is and why people might need to go to the hospital. Using a picture of Daniel talking with Handyman Negri, Mister Rogers moves into a time of Make-Believe where Daniel is feeling nervous after being told that he needs to go to the hospital.

Dr. Bill Platypus has discovered that Daniel has a hernia and needs an operation. Handyman Negri helps Daniel realize that the people at the hospital will help him feel better and that he will be able to return to the comforts of his clock very soon. Back at the house for a moment, Mister Rogers talks with Daniel about the fact that going to the hospital doesn't hurt, but in order for people to feel better, sometimes doctors and nurses need to do things that do hurt. Returning to Make-Believe, Daniel is relieved to be home from his stay in the hospital.

Viewers then see a film segment about the hospital. The film is narrated by Mister Rogers who explains what children might see if they ever need to go to the hospital. He is very honest with viewers and is sure to validate their emotions: "People in the hospital are interested in all kinds of growing. This little girl is getting weighed and measured. It doesn't hurt. Everybody who stays in the hospital has to have a blood test, too, and that's something that does hurt. Of course, it's okay to cry if you want to. But if you hold still, it will be over all the faster."

After looking at a model of a children's hospital bed, Mister Rogers moves on to the next film about children in their hospital beds. He shows a wide variety of things that children might do in a hospital bed such as eating, drawing, and even using a bed pan.

Following the film, Mister Rogers shows a few common pieces of equipment that doctors and nurses use such as a thermometer and an otoscope. This leads into the next film which shows doctors and nurses using their tools with patients.

Mister Rogers mentions that some children may only need to stay in the hospital a short time while others may stay longer if they are "very very sick." He comforts viewers by letting them know that the reason they might be in the hospital is so that their "mothers and fathers and doctors and nurses can all work together to take good care of [them]."

Moving on to a more light-hearted topic, Mister Rogers shows a film about young patients playing in the hospital.

Concluding, Mister Rogers departs with a few comforting and familiar words: "Usually children don't have to do hard things all by themselves. . .We grown-ups care about children like you and we believe our caring helps you to grow. And you help us, too. You know how? By just your being yourself. There's only one person in the whole world like you. I hope you're proud of the way you're growing."


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Notes

A supplemental book was published to go along with this video:


Appearing In This Video


Episode Credits

Supported by Johnson & Johnson Baby Products Company
McFeely-Rogers Foundation - Latrobe, PA

Produced by Family Communications
© 1976 Family Communications, Inc.

Produced in cooperation with the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Hospital Association, and the American Medical Association

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