Question

discuss the issue about having millenials as working nurses and debate their participation in the nursing field currently and projected

Answer 1

Greetings of the day!

Answer:

DEBATE (Favour)

TOPIC : Having millenials as working nurses

As baby boomers continue to retire and millennials become the leading generation in the nursing workforce, nurse leaders must promote professional development and leadership opportunities for millennials moving forward.

More and more millenials are entering the healthcare workforce every day and will continue to do so for the next decade. Born between 1981 and 1996, millennials make up about half of healthcare workers and are reportedly twice as likely to become RNs than their baby boomer counterparts.Alongside these young nurses are a subset of nurses who are foregoing retirement and working longer, widening the generation gap in the workplace. According to the 2017 National Nursing Workforce Study, 50.9% of RNs are above age 50 and 14.6% are 65 or older.

Four distinct generational groups are practicing in the nursing workforce today, and each one brings a unique style to the nursing profession. Those work styles and the strengths and weaknesses within each group should be recognized and understood. Although the differences between the multiple generational groups can present challenges, this diversity conveniently mirrors the diverse patient population we serve. These characteristics form the individual lens through which each nurse interacts, connects, and provides care to patients and families. As a millennial nurse manager, I feel it is important to have an accurate understanding of the generational characteristics and preferences of all my staff so I can foster a healthy work environment and effectively mentor my staff for future leadership roles. Challenges and opportunities can be described across the multigenerational nursing workforce, along with suggestions on how to remove barriers and align with millennial nurses to provide meaningful mentorship and promote understanding and a positive work environment.

Focus on nurse millennials

Millennial nurses have become a focus in nursing literature, nursing education tools, and employee satisfaction methodologies. In the last 10 years, both nurse leaders and healthcare entities have started to investigate ideal strategies for recruiting, leading, educating, and retaining this particular subset of nurses.

Many organizations struggle to retain millennial nurses, but the reasons may be unclear. A greater focus on a work-life balance may be among the leading factors in higher turnover rates among millennials.Young nurses with this mindset are looking to newly emerging nonhospital facilities that have more favorable hours, such as urgent care centers, pop-up medical offices, and clinics.Further, older nurses may consider millennials to be disloyal to their employer, self-entitled, opinionated, unable to cope with criticism, and lacking in diligence.

It is important not to assume that each individual nurse demonstrates the stereotypical characteristics of his or her generational group. While understanding the most common generational characteristics is essential, a nurse leader must get to know each member of the nursing staff and learn what they individually value. This will help avoid biases and misunderstandings and enhance working relationships among all generations. Millennials are the future of nursing and we can learn from each other how best to parlay their skill set into leadership roles.

The future of nursing

According to Buerhaus and colleagues, 1 million RNs will retire between 2017 and 2023. As a result, millennials are the face of the future of nursing, both as frontline staff and nursing leadership. At the very least, nurse leaders must develop an awareness of and promote professional development and leadership opportunities for the millennial workforce. Various qualitative studies, research initiatives, data collection, and analyses are available to develop the finest “how-to” in training and retaining a millennial workforce. Newly arising in literature are works titled “Organizational Strategies for Engaging and Retaining Millennial Employees,” “Mentoring Millennials,” and “Understanding the Millennial Generation,” to name a few.

Nuances of the millennial generation impact these individuals' leadership abilities and styles. The millennial workforce must be prepared and mentored to become effective nurse leaders of a uniquely diverse workforce embodied by multiple generations. With the blend of generations that now comprises the nursing profession, the spectrum of styles, communication preferences, and expectations from management have become more diverse. This being said, it is important to examine the stereotypes and general tendencies within the millennial cohort in order to strategically turn these qualities into valuable leadership skills. These idiosyncrasies, such as a social work component and aptitude for technology, may be characteristics of this generation, but they do not necessarily equate to inefficacy. A successful millennial leader will empower nurses across all generations to further develop the profession and ensure delivery of excellent patient care. However, generalizations and stereotypes often associated with millennials lead to apprehension about the ability of millennials to be leaders. Overcoming this mindset requires focused succession plans to mentor millennial nurses as proficient leaders and retention strategies to minimize turnover.

Parlaying skills into leadership

The capacity for a millennial nurse to successfully embrace a leadership role is unique and specific to each individual, rather than to the generation in which the individual belongs. A new leader who is perceived as “younger” or “less experienced” than some of the workforce will always face challenges, but some potential stumbling blocks can be turned into advantages. For example, research shows that millennials generally favor working in groups and having a common goal toward a solution.This can positively impact a leader's ability to implement change among a large group of staff members. Furthermore, the literature shows that frontline staff desire a leader who not only promotes teamwork but participates in it.Staff look for a confident role model in a leader, one who encourages personal growth while striving for his or her own continued development.

Many other qualities commonly attributed to millennials can be assets for nurse leaders. Effective leaders are often described as those who strongly advocate for their patients and staff alike. Millennials are vocal in their desire to achieve goals and have successes, and generally are not intimidated by their lack of experience. Clinical nurses say their most appreciated leaders guided them in ways to improve upon their practice. The challenge for millennial nurse leaders is to identify the strengths within their workforce and within each individual. Millennial nurse leaders can use their persistence, confidence, and open-mindedness to create such an environment.

Further, working with technology is second nature to millennials. This is an incredible strength for a leader, considering healthcare's increasingly technologic direction. The rapidly changing work environment is ideal for millennial leaders, and one in which they will thrive.

A recent study expanded upon leadership qualities that stood out to newly hired nurses. Interviewees stated that their most valued leaders were willing to share experiences, applaud their staff's achievements, and encourage others in a positive and open forum. It can be argued that this mirrors some expectations of millennials themselves, with the assumption that many new hires will indeed be of the same generation. Leaders whose expectations align with those of their staff have a deeper understanding of the wants and needs of the staff they supervise and can help ensure staff satisfaction.

Mentorship and development

It may be in an organization's best interest to approach potential millennial leaders in a different light. The use of internal networking may help identify nurses who may be interested in becoming nurse leaders. If such a system is utilized in a more proactive approach, it could help counter the convenience of online job searching and recruiting that attribute to much turnover in the millennial population.

A mentorship program will help retain and develop millennial nurse leaders. A formal mentorship with a senior leader will create a structured pathway for the millennial to receive steady and frequent feedback. Because millennials prefer to work collaboratively and feed off of diversity, a new millennial leader may also appreciate being developed in group settings where learning is interactive and diversified.

Organizations and senior leadership may benefit from instituting a “leadership cohort,” in which new leaders (millennials or not) can discuss ideas, action plans, or struggles, with the guidance and experience of a knowledgeable upper leadership team. This can be done informally to promote relationship building, communication, and development among the leadership team.

Millennial nurse leaders who understand each generation's needs, whether dissimilar or not to their own, will foster an environment in which everyone learns from each other. Although trends develop within generations, it is not safe to assume that each person will fit these generalizations, and the same expectation applies to millennial nurse leaders. An individual's leadership qualities, especially if properly coached and mentored, can provide a platform for a successful dynamic leader.

Senior leaders of a millennial manager may face a unique hurdle in trying to adapt both their teaching and mentoring style to a millennial mentee, all while ensuring their millennial successor understands the multigenerational workforce that currently exists. By interacting and exchanging ideas with a cohort of leaders with varying generational backgrounds, a millennial leader may identify generational differences among the cohort in a safe space. In this proposed cohort, there can be more open and honest conversation among the multiple generational types to better develop a knowledge base for effective communication with all. Additionally, leadership classes and enrichment sessions that address and educate leaders of our multigenerational workforce may be valuable.

Final reflections

Understanding generational differences is an important reality in the world of nursing. It is just as pressing, if not more so, as any other cultural difference that leaders must keep in mind. A knowledge and understanding of these differences will directly impact retention, buy-in from staff, staff satisfaction, and other vital nursing indicators.

In my new role, my desire to be respected by staff, some of whom have a lifetime of knowledge and experience, is humbling. It encourages self-reflection and a willingness to listen more than I speak. The opportunity to be a leader of such a diverse workforce promotes legitimate “facetime,” fostering emotional intelligence, sincerity, and a heightened awareness of the needs of others. My leadership role has encouraged personal growth and has driven me away from some of the instinctive tendencies associated with my generation.

Accomplished leaders who continue to take the time to share their experiences and knowledge in order to mentor me and further my professional development have been most instrumental in my progression thus far. This has proven to be invaluable for my continued self-growth, and I hope to someday do the same in mentoring future generations of nurse leaders.

DEBATE (Against)

TOPIC : Having millenials as working nurses

Triumphs and Trials of Millennial Nurses

There are many different views on the characteristics that define the millennial generation. A millennial is typically defined as someone who is born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s. Characteristics used to define this generation are split between positive and negative viewpoints.

Positives: achievement-oriented, confident, ambitious, nurtured, challengers, tech savvy

Negatives: pampered, high expectations, lazy, indecisive.

Bad Workplace Habits Millennials Need to Stop Making

The millennial generation has faced a great deal of criticism, and in some cases, scorn from older generations. We millennials --( yes, I'm one of them -- are seen as selfish, entitled and demanding, not to mention addicted to technology.)

Here, let’s focus on the negatives, setting aside the fact that you can’t categorize an entire generation, and behavioral traits and stereotypes can’t be empirically proven to exist. Instead, let’s focus on the bad workplace habits that the older generations perceive millennials to have, and work on eliminating them.

Regardless of how much of a stereotypical millennial you believe yourself to be, you’ll make a better impression in your new work environment if you avoid these common bad habits:

1. Making demands instead of requests

Millennials do have a habit of making demands, and setting more rigid requirements for their workplaces. On some level, this is good; too many modern workers are afraid to voice their opinions, and would rather keep their heads down than verbally address something wrong with the organizations.

However, when voicing your opinion, turn your demands into requests. Making a request of your employer shows more respect and subordination than making a demand, which is especially important if you’re new to the organization. The more experience you earn, the more demanding you can afford to be, but start out by making requests instead.

2. Exhibiting overconfidence

Confidence is good, but overconfidence can ruin your reputation if it’s perceived as arrogance. Millennials tend to overestimate their abilities and knowledge in the workplace, which is especially irritating to people from the older generations who have spent far more years on the job.

Recognize that your superiors have been at this job longer than you have, and don’t be afraid to exhibit confidence -- as long as you keep that confidence reasonably in check. It’s better to perform well with a sense of humility than to boast about your abilities and fail to meet expectations. Just as happens with demands, you can demonstrate more confidence over time as your accomplishments start to speak for themselves.

3. Relying only on certain forms of communication

Most millennials prefer text-based forms of communication over voice-based forms. They’re more comfortable with mediums like SMS text and email because they’ve grown up with these formats, and recognize the fact that they give you more time to put your thoughts together (not to mention leaving a paper trail).

Related: We Gave Millennials a Bad Name. It's Time We Look in the Mirror and Dispose of the Myths.

However, it’s important to recognize that not everyone prefers to communicate this way -- and that there are advantages to making a phone call rather than emailing. Showcase a degree of flexibility in the way you communicate, and you can eliminate this bad habit altogether.

4. Talking more than listening

This is a bad habit for any generation, not just millennials; but for millennials, it’s far more damning. Because millennials are seen as self-centered and overconfident, talking too much can be seen as an exacerbation of these qualities (even if it’s just a result of this individual's extroverted personality).

Instead, make a conscious effort to speak less and listen more, especially when you’re in the company of someone more experienced or more authoritative than you are. You’ll end up making a better impression, and more importantly, you’ll learn more in the process.

5. Assuming a certain behavior or action is okay

Office environments are becoming more relaxed. Work schedules are becoming more flexible, etiquette is becoming looser and dress codes are increasingly casual. These trends are facilitated by increasing technological sophistication and decreasing reliance on old-school business tropes. However, this isn’t a free license to show up at the office whenever you want, wearing whatever you want.

In fact, doing so could mark you as both overconfident and disrespectful. Don’t just assume a certain action or behavior is okay. If you’re even slightly in doubt, ask someone.

6. Multitasking

Millennials grew up with technology that provided instantaneous information on demand. They work fast and think fast, which makes them highly productive and ingenious. Unfortunately, this high pace also lures them into the multitasking trap, tempting them to try to accomplish many things simultaneously in a bid to work as fast as possible.

As more people are beginning to realize, multitasking is ineffective, and engaging in multitasking could weaken your performance in multiple areas.

7. Staying plugged in

Again, thanks to our natural history with technological devices, we millennials tend to be more reliant on them than our older-generation counterparts. There’s a perception that weare addicted to technology, so if you're young and want to combat this stereotype and improve your reputation in the process, avoid staying “plugged in” for too long.

Walk away from the computer every once in a while. Leave your tablet behind for that important meeting. Above all, don’t check your smartphone when you’re having a conversation.

CONCLUSION

Of course, we are all very different, but sometimes other generations will characterize all of us based on how they have seen a few of us behave.

Since starting at my place of employment, I have seen upper management and human resources gear benefits towards the younger generation of workers. For example, vacation scheduling used to always go by seniority—the people with the longest tenure got whatever vacation time they wanted, while the new employees were stuck with what was left or what no one else wanted.

For the older generation of employees, this was the norm. But millennials are not afraid to speak up or challenge old habits. Thus, at my place of employment, vacation still works by seniority— but each worker can only choose one week until every person gets one of their top three choices. This allowed for newer employees to have a sense of importance and appreciation.

As you might expect, the older generation of employees were very angry with this decision. One even stated, “We shouldn’t have to cater the young people who will probably just leave anyway”. But imagine always feeling like you didn’t matter, and as if nothing you did would matter until you worked somewhere for years and years. For a lot of us millennials, gaining a sense of appreciation from bosses and the higher ups made us eager to do a better job.

Millennials are very tech savvy and good with technology for the most part. We grew up with the internet and cell phones. When we joined the workforce, direct deposit was the norm. There have been plenty of technology changes in nursing, and being part of this generation is a huge advantage. Previously, all charting and orders were done on paper; now I would probably say at least 90 percent is electronic. It is the way of healthcare currently.

Therefore, a number of millennials actually end up teaching and educating older generations on how to use the new charting systems or new time clocks. Millennials typically do well with change, a huge advantage in a constantly changing career like nursing.

As for our bosses, they are trying harder and harder, it seems, to become friends with their younger employees. Many millennials have mixed views on this. Some love it, while others would prefer to keep the relationship professional. When starting your nursing career, remember your boss is your boss and not necessarily your friend.

Finally, keep in mind the perspective of more experienced generations. They will be a huge help to you as your begin your career because they have a wealth of knowledge in the ways of nursing.

Being a millennial has its benefits and negatives. We are not defined by our generational characteristics, but instead by the work and effort we put into our careers and our patients.

The truth is, there are some differences that set millennials apart from other generations. This doesn’t mean millennials are bad workers or good workers -- it just means they work differently. Acknowledging those differences, and compensating for them when they create workplace dissonance, can help you better adjust to your job, and make a better impression with the people in charge.