Create Your “Nursing Dream Team” by Bridging Generation Gaps (1 Hour)

Another CE class that I took was titled "Create your Nursing Dream Team by Bridging the Generation Gaps". Nurse managers and leaders will have to work with a variety of different people from different generations. Understanding and bridging the generation gap is an important part in becoming an effective leader. This course broke down the four generations that are currently in the workforce. There are the traditionalists or veterans born between 1920-1943. There are boomers born between 1943-1960. The Gen X generation were born between 1960-1980. The Gen-Y and Net-Gen were born between 1980-2000. Despite this categorization of the generations, it is important to remember and the course did point out not to stereotype. Each person is individualized and not all will adhere to the qualities of their generation. Each generation has a different approach to work and to how things were when they entered the workforce. Communication styles differ from one generation to another. Traditionalists prefer face to face, while Gen-Y and Net-Gen are much more likely to use technology to communicate. Leaders and managers in nursing need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each generation and how to effectively communicate with each generation. By understanding and educating themselves, leaders can then more effectively lead a team made up of multitude of generations.