You may have come across a surprising new design feature in the UC San Francisco Radiology Department at Parnassus: a beautifully designed interactive gratitude tree.
These gratitude trees, which will soon be springing up across UCSF campuses, were originally the brainchild of UCSF Medical Center’s Principal Radiologic Technologist and Assistant Clinical Instructor David Poon, BSMDI, CRT, RT (R), ARRT.
“The Gratitude Tree was born from the results of the UCSF Staff Engagement Survey. According to the results of the staff engagement survey, an opportunity for our department to improve is ‘Staff Engagement’ and ‘Employee Recognition’,” Poon said.
In creating this idea, Poon took ideas from other gratitude programs at other hospitals and from other UCSF departments. He also wanted to make sure the concept followed the UCSF branding policy. After consulting with and receiving support from the imaging director at that time, David Sostarich, MBA, RT(R), Poon contacted The Studio, by UCSF Documents and Media.
“Radiology contacted The Studio to request help implementing an idea they had. We created a custom design that fits the brand of UCSF and can be applied to the corresponding signs and collateral.” Documents Media Principal Publication Coordinator Tracey Long said. With The Studio’s guidance, the scope of the project expanded to enable patients and staff to engage with the gratitude tree.
“During our multiple conference calls, the idea was tweaked which I was very open to. We wanted to not only allow peer-to-peer recognition. We also wanted to invite patients who were having imaging procedures as well. In addition, staff will be able to utilize the UCSF Department of Radiology communication framework: AIDET, which stands for Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, and thanking the patient.”
The final design includes trees that adhere to the wall with adhesive but removable leaves that are die-cut so that community members can write on them, stick them, and replace them as needed. Participants can simply fill out a response card and drop it in the provided ballot box. UCSF Staff will then transcribe the comments onto the leaves and post them.
In the few weeks that the tree has been active, Poon says it’s already received a lot of attention.
“High foot traffic will allow visibility for all to see. Other departments have contacted us, and we would be honored with this expansion,” Poon said.
“We want the Gratitude Tree to be a movement of saying, 'Thanks!' Showing appreciation is one way to brighten someone's day!”
The Studio team has plans to replicate the project at several UCSF locations, including Radiology at the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, UCSF Cancer Center Radiology CT, Precision Cancer Medical Building, and Berkeley Outpatient Center.
“The response has been amazing. The Radiology department wants one at every location, and they are willing to share the design with anyone who wants to replicate the experience. We are updating the text to fit the department’s needs. We have tailored the design slightly to fit different spaces, but the goal is to have it be a recognizable way to show gratitude across UCSF,” Long said. “We hope that employees will feel recognized for the amazing work they do every day!