Annual CARE Awards for Staff
The School of Medicine's Clinical, Administrative, Research, and Education Awards (CARE) are presented on an annual basis to staff members of the School of Medicine and UCR Health. These awards were formerly known as the Staff Mission Awards.
Although only staff are eligible to receive the award both faculty and staff are encouraged to submit nominations. A committee of staff across the SOM and UCR Health will decide winners annually.
There are four categories of awards: clinical, education, administrative, and research. The criteria can be found below.
Any staff or faculty member, including members include both the School of Medicine and UCR Health employees, may nominate any staff member. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to nominate their staff members. Please note that although faculty can nominate staff, they are ineligible to receive this award.
Winners will receive:
- Certificate of recognition
- $500 cash award
- Lunch with the dean
Deadline
All nominations must be submitted by January 6, 2025. Late nominations will not be accepted.
Committee Members
Representatives on the committee are selected across these four categories
Chairs: Steve Reyes and Carie Smith
Members: Tracy Bereal, Manuel Contreras, Isaac Owusu-Frimpong, Amy Gu, Pam Hunter, Monica Monter, Fernando Reyes, Jessica Portillo, Krystal Rivas, Hermila Torres, Patricia Walker, Alex White
Tips on Writing a Strong Nomination
- Review the Care Award category nomination criteria.
- Share why you selected them, mention the award category and why it’s significant.
- Add their length of time with UC, UCR, and/or SOM.
- Provide information on specific achievements and contributions that make the nominee deserving of the award. Use concrete examples and metrics to highlight their impact.
- Highlight the nominee's skills, qualities, and attributes that match the award criteria.
- Connect these qualities to the positive outcomes achieved. If applicable, mention the nominee's ability to collaborate with others and contribute to a positive team environment.
- Impact on the Organization: Describe how the nominee's achievements have positively influenced the organization or department. Include any innovative approaches or solutions they may have implemented.
- Supporting Statements: Include quotes or statements from colleagues, clients, or superiors that attest to the nominee's excellence.
- Provide a well-rounded view of the nominee's impact.
- Summarize the key points and emphasize why the nominee is exceptionally deserving of the award.
- Express confidence in the nominee's continued success.
How to Nominate
All nominations must be submitted through the Qualtrics form, which will alert you when your responses have been recorded. Any questions should be directed to Steve Reyes at steve.reyes@medsch.ucr.edu
Eligibility Requirements
Please only select one category to nominate per staff member. Please note there are no limits to how many nominations you can submit.
The below are the criteria for nominating a staff member:
- The staff member must be employed at either the UCR SOM or UCR Health.
- The staff member must work at least 50% of a full-time schedule (20 hours per week).
- You may not self-nominate.
- The staff member must be in their role at least three months.
- The staff member may not be a probationary employee.
- You can nominate as many staff members as you would like.
Awards Criteria
The criteria for the CARE awards may be found below. Click the tab to see each award category.
Demonstrates leadership and mentorship in administrative activities
The degree to which the nominee builds connections with coworkers, encourages professional development, and has successfully led and managed projects or initiatives in their department or unit.
Consistently offers internal and external customers a high level of service and problem-solving; effectively communicates with customers about service, policies, and procedures; treats customers with respect and dignity
The degree to which the nominee maintains a welcoming disposition for members of the SOM and otherwise. The nominee clearly communicates with others including offering solutions oriented responses, demonstrating patience in explaining processes, and being a strong ambassador of the SOM and its activities.
Serves as an exemplary role model and a team player in the management of a wide range of administrative responsibilities in the workplace, having a positive impact beyond the immediate work group/department
The degree to which the nominee contributes effectively in shared work, and serves as a role model to coworkers. The degree to which the nominee’s work extends beyond their individual department or unit.
Innovative and creative, evidence of significant changes made to process or efficiency in their department, or creates a space for an exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives
The degree to which the nominee introduced new approaches to the work of their department, created intentional venues for brainstorming ideas, and promoted inclusion of thoughts from across their department or unit.
Commits to personal and professional development and uses this learning to increase job performance and enhance departmental functioning
The degree to which the nominee seeks out their own development, contributes solutions and approaches through their professional development to their department or unit broadly.
Past Recipients
Contribution to the positive culture in the department and organization while collaborating with others across all areas to provide excellent patient care and service delivery
The degree to which the nominee instills a positive outlook that reaches across the department, unit, or institution. The nominee’s disposition creates support for both patients and colleagues while fostering a compassionate experience for all.
Puts the patient first in all encounters and consistently contributes to the delivery of outstanding patient care
The degree to which the nominee promotes a patient centered approach, and encourages a patient centered approach in their coworkers, department or unit.
Offers constructive input when contributing to clinical processes and identifies areas of improvement
The degree to which the nominee identified gaps in the clinical process, contributed novel approaches and solutions to the clinical process, and successfully implemented identified approaches.
Supports all UCR Health clinic and/or department initiatives
The degree to which the nominee has a macro level approach in their work including UCR Health, the SOM, and the clinical enterprise as a whole.
Fosters an environment that encourages respect, integrity, fairness, and diversity
The degree to which the nominee intentionally creates a culture of inclusion, ensuring that all team members have equal opportunities to contribute their thoughts, perspectives, and concerns.
Past Recipients
Demonstrated teamwork with respect to educational activities
The degree to which the nominee works and leads effectively in team settings, managing delegation of tasks, and meets deadlines.
Customer service outlook and approach in communication with internal and external customers
The degree to which the nominee displays a solution oriented disposition, provides transparency in the processes of their department or unit, and effectively communicates internally and externally.
Demonstrated leadership or management, logistics, and reporting of educational activities
The degree to which the nominee’s contributions improved the logistics and efficiency of educational activities including how the nominee led developments in the educational process, and communicated changes to the SOM and external to the SOM.
Demonstrated innovation in educational offerings including new approaches to delivering educational offerings and/or service
The degree to which the nominee created novel processes and methods of disseminating education to students including method of delivery, content, and measures of understanding.
Significant production and/or changes made to the educational activities of the SOM
The degree to which the nominee’s contributions significantly changed the landscape of education at the SOM including impact on student, faculty, or the community at large.
Past Recipients
Demonstrated excellence in research logistics including support in payroll, personnel, travel, and procurement
The degree to which the nominee expedited research agendas, created processes to improve efficiency and/or quality of research, and created greater transparency or efficiency in research payroll, personnel or travel.
Research and event management in support of faculty
The degree to which the nominee demonstrated leadership in research related events including coordination and logistics. The degree to which the nominee provided value to faculty engaging in research and helped advance research goals.
Innovation in the research process or space
The degree to which the nominee provided new approaches or designs to the research agenda including new methods of managing a research award, data collection, analysis, interpretation or dissemination.
The significance of their contributions
The degree to which the efforts of the nominee advanced research goals, improved the care of residents in the region, or introduced new models of research for adoption on a broad scale.
The impact on students and the SOM community
The degree to which the nominee involved students or other SOM in the research process, including providing opportunities for community-based research, and disseminating research broadly.