Kids these days, part 1
Last week, I was invited to a meeting for rehabilitation managers in my community. The title of the meeting was, “New Graduates and Generation Y: Training for Emotional Intelligence and Face-To-Face Communications Skills.” Uh-oh. I was invited because of my role as an academic faculty member in clinical education, but – with a 1978 birthday – I’m considered a member of Generation Y (also known as Millennials) according to some sources. I’d never been to one of these meetings before, but I knew some of the key players were of the Gen X and Baby Boomer generations. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried I’d be spending the better half of the morning defending my students and myself. But I knew I had an important perspective to share; that I was in the unique position to speak on this issue as an educator and a (maybe, almost) Millennial.
If you’ve spent much time with me, you know that I’m completely turned off by the entire kids these days concept. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with kids these days or society today. In fact, I think people and the world generally get better as time goes on. We are safer and smarter than we’ve ever been. And, while kids these days may be different (and why wouldn’t they be – the world is different), they have unique ideas and strengths and skills that I don’t possess. I can learn a lot from people younger than me. And that’s a good thing. Perhaps that is why I was drawn to pediatric physical therapy and education.
Luckily, the meeting wasn’t simply a forum to vent about problems with kids these days. It was an honest, fascinating, and enlightening discussion, with many of the Gen Xers and Boomers in attendance reflecting on their own biases and weaknesses as well as some of the “differences” they see in today’s students and new grads. Here are a couple of the central themes that arose during the discussion:
- Students and new grads don’t seem to have the listening skills they once had. And they don’t have the self-awareness to reflect and correct, and they often get defensive or emotional when criticized.
- Students and new grads aren’t as dedicated to the profession. They want to leave as soon as the day is over. We used to stay 10 or 11 hours if needed to get all our work done.
- Students and new grads are always texting, playing Words with Friends, and checking Facebook. They don’t have good professional boundaries when it comes to checking and using their mobile devices.
- Students and new grads know how to Facebook and text, but they struggle with “real-life” communication and relationships.
This generational divide isn’t unique to physical therapy or health care – the same conversations are happening in many professions. And it isn’t unique to the Millenials – concerns about kids these days is a tale as old as time. What’s different this time, I think, is that some of the unique characteristics seen in the Millenials may be less about a specific generation of young people and more about a vast change in the world we live in, the way we do business, and the way we communicate. In many ways, Millennials represent the role that technology – particularly social networking and mobile devices – now plays in our lives. We may not be able to just wait them out or ask them to grow up or adapt or change to conform to us. The Millennials may represent what we need to become in order to stay relevant. And that can be a frightening prospect for many of us.
Over the next several posts, I’ll tackle these generational issues in a series I’m calling (you guessed it) Kids These Days. My next post will be about the first item on the list: students’ and new graduates’ ability to listen, communicate, and self-reflect in today’s fast-paced world of health care. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the next generation of health care providers. What do you think about kids these days? What differences are you seeing in your classrooms, hospitals, and clinics? What strategies are you using to close the generation gap?
[Creative commons licensed photo by Flickr user courosa]
7 responses to “Kids these days, part 1”
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Kendra Gagnon, PT, PhD
Kendra Ped PT 
I’m excited to read your thoughts on this topic, and as ones of these “kids,” I promise not to get too defensive or emotional (unless it’s an emotion of passion).
It makes me sad that my generation is viewed this way by a large portion of the older working population, but I’m happy to know the perspective at least. I can and have seen this in some of my peers, but I don’t think I’m in the position to recognize it truly. I agree that we are different, but I think we do have something to bring to the table as you suggest. I just think we need to be receptive to learning from those older than us too. It can be hard to be open to that, however, when you don’t feel respected as a professional. Sure, we all have a lot to learn from each other, but we can’t start that until we acknowledge our differences, respect those differences, and even appreciate those differences. Both sides must be willing to compromise and learn. Hopefully this post and these types of meetings can facilitate these positive interactions!
Kids these days… there is a lot I think about us and the way we view work vs. personal life, but perhaps another post when my thoughts are more organized. Happy to share my perspective and to read others! Happy writing.
Thanks for chiming in, Tasha! I was hoping at least one “Millennial” would join the discussion. I’m looking forward to thinking and writing more about this and I hope you’ll share more of your thoughts. Maybe you can even do a guest post once your “thoughts are more organized.”
What an important discussion. In my opinion, one of the best aspects of our job as physical therapists is the connections we are able to have with our patients. Whatever area in which we practice, we are often the health professional who spends the MOST one on one time with our patients. Our ability to provide extensive education is key to providing optimal care – both for treatment and prevention. We know that our approaches must be adaptable and geared toward the individual – and how the individual learns best. Embracing technology enables us to reach out to such a wide range of individuals – connecting a community, a group of patients with similar dysfunctions/diagnoses, or being able to give visual education rather than 2-dimensional images/information.
As many of our clinics and hospitals embrace or update their current electronic documentation and website/educational tools, I have found that those individuals classified as Generation Y and “kids these days” are the LEADERS needed in helping ease transitions while providing valuable tips to professionals less familiar with these tech changes.
That is such an important point Melissa. As a generation, the Millennials have many strengths and skill, curiosity, and fearlessness with technology certainly rises to the top. That was actually discussed in the meeting I attended – many of the clinicians lamented student and new grad use of technology on one hand, but acknowledged that students and new grads were the best at implementing new technology (such as a clinic-based social media campaign or a new EMR system).