Taryn Oegema is pictured standing and leaning against a bannister in a hallway at Kingston General Hospital. She has short blonde hair, blue eyes and has a big smile on her face. She’s wearing a dark red blouse.
Taryn Oegema is not only passionate about spreading positivity through her role as a medical secretary, but also supporting individuals, who may not have a family physician, get screened for cervical cancer.
Credit
Matthew Manor

They’re the friendly face you see when you walk into a clinic, the helpful voice on the other end of the phone and they’re some of the best problem solvers we have at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC).

Our administrative professionals do it all, and we couldn’t be happier to celebrate and thank them for everything (and we mean everything) they do in honour of National Administrative Professionals’ Day on April 24, 2024.

Meet Taryn Oegema. She’s the medical secretary for our Gynecologic Oncology Division.

On any given day her to-do list may consist of scheduling appointments and surgeries, arranging tests, helping with referrals, managing physician calendars, and countless other tasks.

Taryn Oegema is pictured sitting at her desk, looking at her computer. She has a headset on and her fingers are typing on her keyboard. She has short blonde hair, blue eyes and is wearing a dark red dress.
In addition to her daily responsibilities, Oegema also does a lot of the behind the scenes work for KHSC’s Pop-Up Pap Clinics and annual Pap Party.

She’s a complete rock star who's always belting out kindness to patients, families and her colleagues.

“I genuinely enjoy being a point of contact for our patients, getting the opportunity to build relationships and providing compassionate care,” explains Oegema.

“You never know what someone is going through in life. Our patients may be experiencing some of the scariest and trying times they’ll ever endure. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind, and knowing I may have helped make someone’s day a little bit brighter, helps make mine a little brighter too!”

She’s not only passionate about spreading positivity, but also supporting individuals, who don’t have a family doctor, get screened for cervical cancer.

Oegema does a lot of the heavy lifting behind the scenes for KHSC’s Pop-Up Pap Clinics and annual Pap Party, including promoting the events, scheduling appointments, ordering supplies, and following up with patients on their results.

Taryn Oegema is pictured sitting at her desk, looking at her computer. She has a headset on and is talking on the phone. She has short blonde hair, blue eyes and is wearing a dark red dress.
Oegema says when it comes to interacting with patients, families and her KHSC colleagues she always leads with kindness, because you never know what someone else is going through.

Since joining the division almost five years ago, she and the team have helped more than a thousand people get a free Pap smear during the events.

“I'm incredibly proud of the work I do with the Pap Party and Pop-Up Pap Clinics. As the number of individuals in the area without a family physician is growing rapidly, our team is trying our best to fill in the gaps as much as possible.

“Approximately 560 individuals have been screened at our annual Pap Party since 2019. The Pop-Up Pap Clinics began in 2022, and so far another 590 people have been scheduled to be screened.

“Knowing I'm helping provide this potentially life-saving screening opportunity to patients who need it is very fulfilling. I also work with some of the most driven, caring and compassionate people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

We’re very fortunate to have administrative professionals like Oegema on our team. They’re a big reason why KHSC is one of Canada’s top care, research and teaching hospitals.

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Thousands of different people come together and make KHSC a great place to work. We're a team on a mission to transform care, together.
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