Generational Gap in nursing?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was in report the other day, we do a conference type group report in our 2 nurse ICU, and we got to talking. One of the nurses was bemoaning having to float to med-surg, where the nursing staff is less mature. They got to speculating and one of them surprised me by saying that she thought this younger generation had a different attitude and work ethic than those of our generation (we are in our 40's and 50's)

For one thing, it made me feel a little old to hear that.:uhoh3: And I was surprised to hear it from such a hip looking nurse! Anyways, I wonder if some of this friction that I hear on this board between new nurses, who feel as if they are being badly is in part a generational phenomina?

I never considered my generation exactly the model of propriety truthfully. But, how much of this "nurses eating their young" mantra really is related to the generation gap?

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Lucky me: the baby boom didn't start til I was a year old. I guess I was a furlough baby. I do know all my classes from 1st all the way to 12th had more than capacity. My father had 3 jobs in his life as an adult. 1. Marine 2. coast Guard. and 3. Realtor. That's how it went for post WWI babies.

From 1st til graduation I went to:

t. schoo,=l

br schoo=2

jh school=2

cr school=3

br school=4

bra school=5 &6

McM school=7

Cr school=7 8 9

Fl school 10, 11,12

Now what's remarkable is that we lived in the same house, on the same street, in the same town, and in the same state.

We had a radio maybe 3'x4' next to the fireplace and we watched the radio.

We had central heat, if you went down in the celler and stoked the coal furnace.

We played outside in the summer heat (bah humbug 110) and winter cold (how else could you snap the ice ciciles from the pine needles.

People helped each other out when our house burned down. (second grade) We were not without necessities over 24 hours. Yes it was DIFFERENT back then.

We got our 1st TV in 1954-b&w sylvania with halo light. Nearest station was 90 m i north. Our town's first station NBC came the next year.

We went to NYC on vacation in 1954 by train. That's how you mostly did it.. When we got back Daddy had arranged to have central heat and air.

I remember Mama asking why we needed it?

It was a big deal when mama's old wringer washer and kerosene range said bye-bye to the house,

We called our teachers Mr and Ms ( a Southern thing waaaay before women'ss lib-we called it respect).

I got sent home on "bermuda day" for wearing ankle length coulottes-pants weren't allowed you see.

Kennedy was assasitnated when I was in my first year of college. I remember the weather, the place I was standing when I heard, I remember the next 3 days as grey and empty.

As far as coworkers I've been privileged to work primarily with the best of the best. An LPN 20 years younger than I showed me the BEST way to start an IV. An RN 20 years older than me showed me that if you kneel and say a prayer before you can always get a #20 first time (Thank Mrs Hollis).

As far as the generational gap, It feels to me more of a financial grab what you can get gap. We -my bunch- went to work and pretty much stayed there a whole career.

The next bunch- baby boomers and gen-x appear to have discovered that we didn't know much. I guess that would be the generation gap. My bunch wouldn't come to work on a buzz, with wrinkled clothes, without bathing and this is what I have seen with my own eyes. I was just in the hospital in September and had to virtually fend for myself as far as ADL.s Stuff has changed hasn't it. And I was right there in the middle and never saw it coming.

Music was Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Marty Robbins, Elvis of course, the British Invasion......songs you could still understand the words. My kids were born between the assasinations and the summers of love. Are you going to San Francisco....

OH that's enough the FAT lady has sung.

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Remember Judi Collins? I saw her in concert once.

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.
Yes, that's how those drills went. The Los Angeles school district had them too. The teacher would yell "Flash!!!" and we'd all scramble under our desks, cover our eyes with one arm and the back of our neck with the other arm. Cold War hysteria is what it was. I always wondered how effective covering one's eyes and neck would be against radiation poisoning.

LOL! I was in high school when TMI (Three Mile Island) was on the verge of melting down. One day several of us were instructed to go around and close windows and doors "in case of a radiation release."

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P RN, some things have changed for the better, some for the worst. We have lost some worthy older values, but also gained some worthy newer ones.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

SO So true Dove.

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Specializes in Long-term care.

I know exactly what you mean. It is frustrating enough putting up with that attitude at work, then to come onto the boards (as I have in the past) and see a thread titled "What's with these young things?" Etc.

I think it would be interesting if some of those posters were to come on and read something like "Oh, I had to work with an OLD nurse this week." or, "Boy, those old things at work are really something!"

Age intolerance/discrimination would be implied right away, but it DOES go both ways.

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Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.
I know exactly what you mean. It is frustrating enough putting up with that attitude at work, then to come onto the boards (as I have in the past) and see a thread titled "What's with these young things?" Etc.

I think it would be interesting if some of those posters were to come on and read something like "Oh, I had to work with an OLD nurse this week." or, "Boy, those old things at work are really something!"

Age intolerance/discrimination would be implied right away, but it DOES go both ways.

What board are you reading? This place is filled with threads and posts about how awful it is to work with older nurses, how older nurses "eat their young," blah blah blah. The "nasty older nurses" rants are definitely in the majority.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

I think it would be inappropriate to make an assumption about any particular individual regarding generational traits. That said, it is a fact that generations have their own unique qualities overall.

I myself am a gen X'er. I very much fit many of the gen X characteristics. Many of the students I sit with in my college classes display significant gen Y characteristics. They tend to be quite cooperative and tend to engage in group/team 'think'. I also see more catering to 'self-esteem' and a fragility which my generation just didn't have.

Knowledge of such information is helpful to hold in one hand - while never turning any individual into a caricature of their generation's characteristics. Knowledge of the group as a whole is useful; assumptions about particular individuals is unfair.

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I have heard this from other nurses, as well as many people in non-medical professions. I do think it is true to an extent, in fact it has been a topic of conversation w/my non-medical friends for a while now. I have also observed it in MDs as well-- older MDs have made comments re: the work ethic of these younger docs- reluctance to work longer hours, cover call, etc. I don't know the reasons, maybe it's the fact that the younger generation has grown up in a world of more conveniences, a faster-paced world, a not-as-innocent world?? Hopefully a more enlightened world as well!! There is a certain attitude of some, & not just younger nurses, that they can make all the personal phone calls at work they want, check their email, leave the unit for ? who knows? -- there will always be those, in any job, any age group. However, I have had the pleasure of working w/some very energetic & hard-working younger nurses & docs!! & even though I'm an older RN, I still like to have fun at work!!

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my generation said 'DON'T TRUST ANYONE OVER 30'

now my youngest sone is 31 he is most trustworthy

people are individuals with different gifts, if an older person can't keep an open mind an learn from a new grad, or if a new grad can't see that experience brings knowledge they are both losers

i have worked with people in every age group, some smart, some dumb as a brick * some hard workers, some lazy as a sloth * some who were usually in a good mood, some who if they smiled their face would break into pieces

here's hoping that you will all be working with smart, happy, hardworking co-workers

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Remember Judi Collins? I saw her in concert once.

ha! Best concert I ever saw was the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, & Boz Skaggs -- all at an outdoor arena, tickets for the show were $12!!! Ahh...those were the days!! :lol2:

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I was reading this post about Young nurses and older nurses and the generation gap so to speak.....Now since I am a NEW nurse, literally a BRAND NEW NURSE, just worked my first 3 shifts this past week am I considered a "young" nurse? I mean, afterall I will be 40 next month! LOL! So it got me thinking.....is the gap really about age or about "young" and "Old" or "inexperienced" vs "experienced" nurses?

I don't really have anything to add but as I was reading it struck me as sort of funny that New nurses can infact be older than their 20's! I mean in my class, I was about middle in age rank! Sure we graduated a few in their 20's but we had many in their late 30's and early 40's too!

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