Why do the younger generations have less empathy? And how can we stop them from going into nursing?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

This is one person so I would agree with the people above to not paint a generation like that.  

That said there are generational differences for good and for bad. There always are and there always are going to be critics.

I do think as a society we've become very selfish and not willing to think about the greater good.  I'll just leave it at that because I could go on and on.  

[ButterflyBuns, ASN, LPN]

From what I've seen, these young health care worker punks yell at the elderly and act like they are insignificant rejects. They forget that the elderly lived an entire life while they weren't even born yet. There is no way to stop them from entering the field. People need to stop dumping their parents and grandparents in nursing homes and take care of them. Keep them home. Problem solved. 

[ButterflyBuns, ASN, LPN]

Tweety said:

This is one person so I would agree with the people above to not paint a generation like that.  

That said there are generational differences for good and for bad. There always are and there always are going to be critics.

I do think as a society we've become very selfish and not willing to think about the greater good.  I'll just leave it at that because I could go on and on.  

The new generation are confused and are raised by Nicki Minaj and Jay Z. They only care about social medias and how they look to their fake followers. The last intelligent generation is dying out as we speak. They are the age 80+ people in nursing homes.

[ButterflyBuns, ASN, LPN]

FAB_RN said:

Millennial here. Will you accuse me of lacking empathy if I tell you that you're an idiot? 

The fact that you called someone an idiot based on their experiences of your generation proves her point. Your degenerate response shows exactly what she is talking about. SMH

[nursel56]

RitzyCinnamonRoll said:

At my local college there is this blonde who was part of "Alpha Phi" who is well on her way to becoming a Nurse.

During the quarantine on Twitter she mocked people who didn't wear masks and people who believed in Bill Gates microchip in vaccines conspiracies. She called not wearing a mask a form of "Social Darwinism".

Funnily enough she is "Right Wing".

Why do today's young people have much less empathy?

Was it poor parenting by the parents of Gen Z and the Millennials?

Was it more graphic entertainment?

I would like to live in an intelligent, compassionate, and enlightened society.

Clearly America has failed Millennials and Gen Z.

I don't think today's young people have much less empathy, but I agree with the idea that older generations thinking younger generations have it so easy compared to themselves is kind of a sociological constant.

As a Baby Boomer, I can recall thinking what a shame it was my mother's generation didn't have Color TV or a Princess Telephone.

At first I didn't think you were serious about the Bill Gates microchip vaccine theory, but that's probably because it makes much more sense that Elon Musk would be behind such a scheme.  His pronouncements on all sorts of things since he paid way too much for Twitter are a would-be conspiracy theorist's dream world.

So I read this: Coronavirus: Bill Gates 'microchip' conspiracy theory and other vaccine claims fact-checked, and made me angry that so much of this is stoked by people like Roger Stone who knowingly sling this stuff around to fleece as many people as possible. 

[NewRookie, RN]

You're generalizing and that's not good.

[Roitrn]

Davey Do said:

The so-called Baby Boomers are the first of the Brat Generation. Our parents dealt with deprivation and magnanimous fear from the Great Depression and WW II.

Every individual has to dealt with their own pain, yet entire societies were wrestling with these stressors. They had to pull together to get through.

The pathway to a higher consciousness comes through deprivation, dealing with trials and tribulations, experiencing subsequent illuminating revelations.

If we are given everything we want or need and don't have to struggle for it, we never really arise from being materialistic. Hence, we become, or stay, self-centered brats.

I was born in 1979. My parents were baby boomers and my grandparents were in WW2.  My generation is the last to hear stories of the great wars directly from the people who were there and spoke of them. 

I find a disconnect among youth today but I would agree that empathy is variable. 

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

Some people are born empaths but this type of empathy is like a muscle that must be exercised. I work with the adolescent population (Psych) and  those that seem to lack empathy often lost their ability to tune in to this inate sense. 

Hppy

[klone, MSN, RN]

hppygr8ful said:

Some people are born empaths but this type of empathy is like a muscle that must be exercised. I work with the adolescent population (Psych) and  those that seem to lack empathy often lost their ability to tune in to this inate sense. 

Hppy

 

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

LOL

[Nurse Alexa, MSN, RN]

This is something that I think about quite often right now. It has nothing to do with hair color.

The generation below me - Gen Z - has had it rough. In the age of social media, both parents usually working and having to fend for themselves a lot, I could imagine it's hard to focus on work and be empathic all the time.

While I wholeheartedly believe that nurses are people too and we should not be expected to me empathetic all the time - I do believe there is a level of respect that some of the newer nurses are lacking.

At this point in medical history, being a nurse has become a bit of a revolving door and I believe that the last thing to be taught at times is nursing etiquette.

It dwindles down, in my eyes, to younger less experienced nurses teaching brand new nurses. The stress that all of these novice nurses feel is apparent and at times etiquette is the last thing to be worried about.

I think it's important to be mindful of how we all act in patient rooms and at the end of the day treat each patient like family. I don't blame the new nurses that act like this completely - it's the stressful environment they've been trained in along with a lack of training.

RESOLUTION: Instruct these nurses how to be empathetic and perform better in high-stress environments. There can be a better way to say things and that empathy is key in nursing.

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

ButterflyBuns said:

People need to stop dumping their parents and grandparents in nursing homes and take care of them. Keep them home. Problem solved. 

Not everyone has the resources or ability to take care of elderly or disabled family members outside of a long term care facility.  Many homes cannot accommodate medical equipment or are not laid out in such a fashion that older adults can safely stay there. In my time working in LTC I encountered very few patients that were truly dumped there. The vast majority have family members that care very much and are as involved as they can be in providing the best care for their loved ones.