Generational Diversity's Impact on Nursing Profession

1071 Words3 Pages

Intergenerational Diversity and Nursing Cultural differences are not the only influences on the diversity of a workplace. Members from different generations are working together now more than ever due to changes in financial resources and the need to delay retirement. Each generation has defining characteristics and provides valuable attributes to the workforce. This paper will briefly discuss four generations, their characteristics, and how they contribute to the nursing profession. Four Generations The first of the four generations are the veterans. Individuals in this group were born between the years 1925 and 1945. They have lived through world wars and economic difficulties. They often remain in the workforce due to financial need …show more content…

Although I am technically considered a millennial, I feel as though I relate more to generation X. I was a latch key kid and I had little supervision growing up. I tend to work better on my own, but I also value the importance of team work. I prefer autonomy over close supervision. Unlike true millennials, I did not have access to technology that is so prevalent now. There are however, many traits of millennials that I can relate to. I agree with most millennial political standpoints. Also like most millennials, I am not particularly religious. One study completed in 2005 showed that only about half of the millennials surveyed reported that they pray regularly. While technology did not play a role in my early childhood, it was definitely present later in my high school career and college (Brown, 2017). While considering the differences between these two generations and determining where I belong, I thought of my coworkers. The majority of staff on my unit are millennials, with a few from generation X. We do not have anyone from the veteran generation and, to the best of my knowledge, maybe one or two baby boomers. We have recently seen several nurses leave for different opportunities. While researching this paper, I found that millennials are more likely to change jobs and these are the staff members that have left. The most common reasons for leaving a position are feeling unsupported by management and a workload that is too heavy (Tourangeau, …show more content…

This is my parents’ generation and I see those defining characteristics in both my mother and father. They are both hard working and value their careers. Many differences exist between baby boomers and millennials. One major cultural difference involves segregation and racism. Baby boomers experienced the civil rights movements that occurred in the 1960s. Millennials do not understand the segregation that occurred, as well as the continuing presence of racism in today’s society. Many millennials from minority groups do not see the problem in continuing to live in the society they always have, with segregation being nonexistent. In recent times, racism has been a major part of almost daily life (Brown, 2017). In the nursing profession, the majority of nurses that make up the workforce are baby boomers. Compared with millennials, baby boomers are more likely to remain in their current position. When considering work ethic, millennials are more likely to place greater emphasis on leisure time than baby boomers. When working together in the clinical setting, baby boomers and millennials can benefit greatly. The baby boomers are seen as mentors to the younger staff due to experience. Millennials offer the baby boomers other resources found through technological methods. All generations have the potential to benefit from each other (Clark,

Open Document