Wellness canvases offer a creative break for staff

A wonderful new initiative has taken off at the MUHC. Giant coloring posters line the corridor in the Operating Room and Post Anesthesia Care Units (PACU) on the third floor of the C block at the Glen site.

The wellness canvases originally started in the PACU after an assistant nurse manager saw the trend on social media. Nurse Manager Sara Angers thought it would be a great way for staff to take a quick mental break during their busy days. “It has been a great success,” says Sara. “The PACU is almost finished their second poster and the OR is on its third.” 

These canvases are blank coloring pages that staff can fill in whenever they have a few minutes. "It gives me such a sense of satisfaction when I see people stop for five or ten minutes to color," says Sara. "The teams are so creative—it’s amazing to see how they’ve really put their mark on it." 

Staff are even bringing in crayons from home to contribute to this fun exercise. Once the canvases are done, the plan is to turn them into a mural, celebrating the creativity and teamwork of the MUHC staff. “We have surgeons, nurses, PAB’s, residents, x-ray techs, everyone is coloring them! We have learned that we have some talented artists,” says Sara.