‘Blaze a trail’

President of the Barbados Physical Therapy Association, Dr. Nicola Yard, is sending out advice to fellow physiotherapists to be trailblazers.

Speaking with The Barbados Advocate on Saturday night after her association’s Awards Dinner at the Accra Beach Hotel and Spa, she stated that recently she had calls from overseas with persons telling her that they recognise the outstanding work that Barbadian physiotherapists do and this is something that she would like those in her profession to continue to do.

She would also like them to take the lead and set the example for physiotherapists from other countries across the region and the world.

“What I want us to do is to continue to blaze the trail. Recently, in our week of activities, I have had people from overseas contacting me and saying that they recognise the work that we are doing and that we are doing a good job, and that is what I want us to continue to do. Not wait for other people in other countries to do things and then to say, ‘well, yes we should have done that,’ but for us to set the pace, for us to do the things, for us to be the ones so that other
countries look up to us and say, ‘Wow, this is what they are doing in Barbados, we need to get on board. So I just want us to set the pace, blaze the trail and then let everybody else follow us.”

The President believes that this is a goal that they can attain once they have the support of all of their members.

“The strength of the association lies in the interest and support of its members. The Association is nothing without you. Let us move forward as a united group, educating the public on our profession, facilitating its development. We have gained a lot of public attention in recent months, a wave I would like us to continue to ride on. I want us to blaze a trail in Barbados and across the region. We all have different directions, but our drive, love and passion for physiotherapywill determine the success and sustainability of the profession.”

Yard said that they celebrated their 20th anniversary as an association on September 25, 2017, and they wanted to honour all of those who contributed to the speciality in some form or fashion. 24 members of the 44 member association were recognised in this regard.

This is the first time that they have held an awards ceremony of this nature with the objective being to increase their visibility in this country, to build unity and to show members who have done a lot for the profession that they appreciate their efforts. The association which was formed in 1997, will be placing more emphasis on community outreach initiatives, to get more members and to provide more opportunities for continuing education to those practising in Barbados.
The profession is aimed at “helping persons recover from injuries, getting them mobile from illnesses and diseases and to assist them in improving their quality of life overall”, she added.