From Combat Care to Community Care: Meet ED Nurse Steven Barrie

Arnprior Regional Health’s Emergency Department has welcomed a nurse with a truly unique clinical journey.

Steven Barrie began his healthcare career as a nurse with the Australian Army, serving for six years as part of a Combat Health Team. Following his military service, he returned to civilian nursing in a trauma unit before pursuing a new challenge: becoming a paramedic.

“In Australia, paramedics have a lot of autonomy in their scope of practice,” Steven explains. “You’re able to provide advanced care in the field, which brings a lot of excitement to the role.”

In 2019, Steven and his wife—who is originally from Canada—made the move across the world to begin a new chapter. While awaiting his Canadian paramedic license, he worked as both a patient transport officer and a disability support worker before eventually joining Renfrew County Paramedic Service.

It was through his work as a paramedic that Steven was first introduced to Arnprior Regional Health.

“Coming into ARH through triage, I got to know the Emergency Department staff and leadership team quite well. I really loved the environment here.”

That positive experience ultimately inspired him to return to his professional roots as a nurse, this time, at ARH.

With the support of his manager and colleagues, Steven enrolled in the Supervised Entry to Practice (SEP) program, completing 140 hours of supervised clinical placement in the Emergency Department to transition back into nursing practice in Canada.

“There are a lot of similarities between the model of care here and in Australia,” he says. “But often it’s just the terminology that’s different—like adrenaline versus epinephrine. Or offering a child an ‘icy pole’ instead of a popsicle,” he laughs.

Following the successful completion of his SEP placement and registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario, Steven officially joined the ARH Emergency Department team.

Today, he says it’s the people and the pace that make ARH such a rewarding place to work.

“I love the mix of patients we see here and the opportunity to really use your skills. You work very closely with physicians, and there’s a strong team approach between the nursing staff and doctors. It genuinely feels like you’re coming to work with friends.”