People of KHSC: Kim Tran

Kim Tran believes in the power of hope. Whether it was hope for a better life after leaving a refugee camp destined for a new home in Canada, or hope for a better day tomorrow after a tough one at work, it’s what keeps her motivated.

“I think hope can get us through,” she says. “I am a very positive person and grateful that I can help our patients. I want to show that to everyone I meet each day. No matter how hard today might be, tomorrow can always be better.”

Thirteen-year-old Kim arrived in Canada on an incredibly cold day in 1980 after her family fled Vietnam. They left their home on a boat bound for a refugee camp in Malaysia, and from there were sponsored by St. Margaret’s Church in Kingston, to come to Canada to begin a new life.

“We didn’t speak any English, but our family received so much support from the church. They took us grocery shopping, my mom worked at the church, we were so grateful for that support and help. We are still in contact with many of them these days. I will be always grateful and there will always be a connection.”

In school, Kim was thrown into a regular grade seven classroom after arriving in her new home. Once or twice a week she would attend a second language class with five or six other students to learn English.

“You had to do the best you could even though I didn’t know what the English teacher was saying sometimes. There was no such thing as Google back then if you didn’t understand a certain word,” she joked. “That first year was hard.”

After finishing school, she applied for a job working in the labs at Kingston General Hospital (KGH) in 1988. In 1998 she applied for a role in the Diagnostic Imaging (DI) department, where she still works 24 years later.

“When I was in school I worked at Chez Piggy part time and always wanted to have an office job. Working in DI allowed me to meet that goal and also move to a full-time day shift once I had children.”

Over the years she has moved up to the clerical coordinator position and now oversees patient booking, scheduling, registration and reception for the department at the KGH site. In all, Kim oversees 13 clerical desks covering areas such as CT and MRI, interventional radiology and nuclear medicine, just to name a few.

“My job is to make sure everything runs smoothly for booking and reception in our department. With COVID that has been harder since more people are calling in sick and we have to shuffle people between desks based on their skills, but we do our best to get through the day. Some days I cover multiple desks just to make sure everything gets done. But even if it was a busy day, I don’t like to complain because I have my health and that’s better than some of the patients we see here in the hospital.” 

It all adds up to a complicated balancing act, managing more than 400 bookings a day, while also fitting in urgent tests for patients who arrive through the Emergency Department. All the while, trying to provide compassion and empathy to nervous patients.

“Sometimes you can tell patients have anxiety to come into the hospital so I try to talk to them and calm them down to feel more comfortable for their appointment. If I can make one patient’s day better by talking to them for an extra five minutes, then I have done my job.”

“I feel like I can make a difference. To be patient, understanding, kind and supportive, that is part of what I can do for our patients.”

And of course, offer some hope for anyone she comes across during her shift.

“I really hope that message comes through. Stay positive.”