Maria Baynes

Maria Baynes (Improvement Facilitator, Southland)

A typical day
The first thing I do when I arrive at work is to log into my computer and check my emails and my calendar.  As an Improvement facilitator, I am often attending many meetings to support improvement projects and need to plan my day accordingly.  Supporting teams and people in improvement ideas/projects is the main part of my role.  Whether this is teaching or supporting them in how to identify problems (often using data to support this), running trials to see if their ideas improve a situation (Plan, Do, Study, Act) or helping them to understand change and how to sustain this.  Improvement science is exciting but often misinterpreted if you don’t understand it well. 

My role also involves ensuring teams and people don’t jump to solutions without understanding what the true problem is - this happens a lot and can be quite frustrating for well-meaning people and teams when their solutions don’t improve a situation.   Our organisation is filled with many people who are wanting to improve their services and it is exciting to be able to work alongside them. 

I am also the team leader for the Improvement Facilitators across the district which involves checking in with each team member once a fortnight and supporting them on what they are working on, any professional development they have identified they would like, and escalating any barriers or challenges they may have.  

One way I’ve made a difference as a nurse
I have always had a passion for improvement and have found myself in all of my jobs constantly looking for ways of improving the way we do things.  I feel very fortunate to be working in a job that supports nurses implementing new ideas that make a difference to their patients and their work area. 

What would you say to a person considering a career in nursing? 
Nursing has been an exciting journey for me these past 22 years.  I have been able to work in different countries and work in a variety of jobs and settings – ward nursing, district nursing, educator and improvement work.  Not many professions have such a wide and diverse range of career options.   Nursing is not just about caring for people at the bedside, it is a career that can lead you into other roles that indirectly impact our patients such as leadership and management roles, education and Improvement work.