Teri Timpany is putting a red cast on a young patient. She’s smiling and looking at him, while she puts a cast on his arm. Teri has short, curly, silver hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing black scrubs.
After taking a leap and enrolling in an orthopedic technician program in her 50s, Teri Timpany fulfilled a lifelong dream of working in health care and is known for providing expert, compassionate care at KHSC.

If you’ve ever visited the Orthopedics and Plastics Clinic at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) for a cast, splint or brace, chances are you’ve met Teri Timpany.

One of just three orthopedic technicians at KHSC, she’s part of a small but mighty team supporting thousands of patients every year.

Timpany applies and removes casts and splints, fits braces, provides wound care and takes out sutures and staples.

While she’s an expert at what she does, it’s her compassion, reassuring nature and sense of humour that truly set her apart.

“People are usually a little anxious because they don’t know what to expect,” says Timpany. "I explain everything I’m doing before I do it. If I can get someone to smile or laugh and make them feel more at ease, it makes their visit a little less stressful.”

Sometimes, that starts with choosing a cast colour.

A lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, Timpany admits she has a favourite.

"The most popular colour is blue. I call it Toronto Maple Leafs blue,” she laughs. “You can usually tell pretty quickly who’s a Montreal Canadiens fan because they don’t always want the blue. It makes for some fun banter.”

A group shot of Teri and her colleagues standing in a hallway in front of a sign that says “Ortho/Plastics.”
Featured

🤝 Team spirit

For Timpany, great care starts with a great team. She says her Johnson 7 colleagues are like family, supporting one another, sharing their expertise and working together to make a difference for patients.
Teri Timpany is standing behind a computer next to a colleague. Both woman are looking and smiling at the screen. Teri has short, curly, silver hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing black scrubs.
Featured

🤝 Team spirit

For Timpany, great care starts with a great team. She says her Johnson 7 colleagues are like family, supporting one another, sharing their expertise and working together to make a difference for patients.
Teri Timpany is leaning against a care desk while smiling directly at the camera. Teri has short, curly, silver hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing black scrubs.
Featured

🤝 Team spirit

For Timpany, great care starts with a great team. She says her Johnson 7 colleagues are like family, supporting one another, sharing their expertise and working together to make a difference for patients.
Teri Timpany is walking and talking with a colleague down a hallway. The colleague is holding an Aircast boot and Teri is pointing at it.
Featured

🤝 Team spirit

For Timpany, great care starts with a great team. She says her Johnson 7 colleagues are like family, supporting one another, sharing their expertise and working together to make a difference for patients.
Teri is standing behind a care desk and smiling at a colleague. Teri has short, curly, silver hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing black scrubs.
Featured

🤝 Team spirit

For Timpany, great care starts with a great team. She says her Johnson 7 colleagues are like family, supporting one another, sharing their expertise and working together to make a difference for patients.

Timpany always knew she wanted to work in health care. Finding the right path just took a little longer than expected.

“I like to joke that it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.”

She’s worked as an ambulance attendant, bank teller, rubber stamp maker, sign engraver, gas station assistant manager and even an office manager. It’s safe to say she’s built quite the résumé.

Then, in 2015, she saw a television news story about a new orthopedic technician program in her hometown of London, Ontario.

“It looked hands-on and gave me the chance to interact with people, which was exactly what I was looking for.”

She enrolled in the program while in her 50s and joined KHSC in December 2016.

Nearly 10 years later, she says she still loves coming to work.

A big reason is the team around her.

“Johnson 7 is like a family. We support each other, help each other and genuinely enjoy working together. Everyone is kind, thoughtful and always willing to lend a hand.”

A shot of Teri Timpany having a discussion with a young patient, as she walks him through the casting process. Teri has short, curly, silver hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing black scrubs.
Featured

💙 Friendly rivalry

Ask Timpany about cast colours and she'll tell you her favourite is “Toronto Maple Leafs blue.” The playful debates with Montreal Canadiens fans are just one of the ways she breaks the ice and turns an anxious appointment into a more positive experience.
A close up shot of Teri’s hands, holding cast colour options, while a young patient points to the colour he wants.
Featured

💙 Friendly rivalry

Ask Timpany about cast colours and she'll tell you her favourite is “Toronto Maple Leafs blue.” The playful debates with Montreal Canadiens fans are just one of the ways she breaks the ice and turns an anxious appointment into a more positive experience.
A wide shot of a treatment room where Teri Timpany is standing and a young patient is sitting on a bed. Teri is putting a cast on him.
Featured

💙 Friendly rivalry

Ask Timpany about cast colours and she'll tell you her favourite is “Toronto Maple Leafs blue.” The playful debates with Montreal Canadiens fans are just one of the ways she breaks the ice and turns an anxious appointment into a more positive experience.
Teri Timpany is putting a red cast on a young patient. She’s looking down at his arm while she puts a cast on him. Teri has short, curly, silver hair and wears glasses. She’s wearing black scrubs.
Featured

💙 Friendly rivalry

Ask Timpany about cast colours and she'll tell you her favourite is “Toronto Maple Leafs blue.” The playful debates with Montreal Canadiens fans are just one of the ways she breaks the ice and turns an anxious appointment into a more positive experience.
A close up shot of Teri’s gloved hands putting on a red cast on a young patient.
Featured

💙 Friendly rivalry

Ask Timpany about cast colours and she'll tell you her favourite is “Toronto Maple Leafs blue.” The playful debates with Montreal Canadiens fans are just one of the ways she breaks the ice and turns an anxious appointment into a more positive experience.

Looking back, Timpany is grateful she took a chance on a new career.

“I’m very proud of the work I do. Putting on a cast looks easy until you try to do it. It takes practice to apply a comfortable, functional cast and I’ve had many patients thank me at follow-up appointments.

"It’s a great feeling knowing something I did has made a difference.”

It’s the kind of care that sticks with people long after the cast comes off.

This is the place where people are transforming care.

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.
Learn more