Barb (Farquharson) Fry
BN (1971)
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One quote that fuels Barb鈥檚 passion for nursing and motivation for continuous improvement is Peter Drucker鈥檚 鈥淭he best way to predict the future is to create it.鈥�
Nursing interest sparked at an early age
Barb鈥檚 interest in a career in nursing can be traced to an early family influence. As a ten year-old child, she met her father鈥檚 great aunt who proudly recounted the adventures and accomplishments of herself and her sister Isabel Maitland Stewart, RN - a world renowned American nurse academic and graduate of the Winnipeg General Hospital School of Nursing. This early exposure to powerful role models was to last a life-time and ignited Barb鈥檚 passion for nursing.
Many professional accomplishments
Barb is President of her own company - Workplace Dynamix Inc., an active member of the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia, a Consultant on creating healthy workplace relationships, an educator, invited keynote speaker, facilitator, and author. She is a graduate from the 6 year (termed 鈥渟andwich鈥� model) program that included a hospital school nursing diploma and a diploma in Teaching in Schools of Nursing in addition to the Bachelor of Nursing degree (1971). Barb went on to earn a Master of Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University in 2003.
Clinical practice
Barb鈥檚 clinical practice work includes roles as a staff nurse, nursing instructor, and nurse manager in which she sought to inspire a climate of personal and professional excellence in patient/client centered care.
International speaker and author
Today, she travels across Canada and the UK, speaking to varied audiences focusing on professionalism, accountability, and creating healthy workplace relationships and consulting for organizations under-going significant change. Barb is the author of numerous articles for the Canadian Nurse concerning the future of professional nursing practice, has served as a resource on workplace relationships to the Report on Business magazine, and written a co-sponsored publication for Health Canada on helping older Canadians plan for change in the continuing care of their adult children with disabilities.In 2010, Fast Facts for the Clinical Nurse Manager: Managing a Changing Workplace in a Nutshell was published in New York by Springer Publishing.
Concerns for the future of nursing
As Barb鈥檚 career draws to a close she is concerned about the current state of professional nursing. To that end, she continues to promote nursing as a career, advocates for professionalism in practice, celebrates the leadership we possess in demonstrating the art and science of professional caring, and reminds nurses to never forget the deep privilege we have in our service to others. 听