The Next Nurse: Generation Gaps in the Workplace

By Peggy McDaniel, BSN, RN

by futureshape/via Flickr

I recently read an article (“Time for ‘Dr. Next’?”) that focused on the differences between Baby Boomer physicians and Generation X physicians. The two groups apparently have a lot of angst about each other. While recognizing the younger doctors as collaborative and tech savvy, many older doctors express frustration with what they perceive to be less dedication to medicine. The younger physicians seek a healthier work–life balance, but the Baby Boomers remember putting in extremely long hours as students and also when starting their practices. Bringing these two groups together, often in the same practices, has highlighted their differences.

As it turns out, the same issues come between generations of nurses. This article from NurseWeek has some excellent advice and, although it’s from 2001, remains timely. It discusses different generational views about job security, technology, self-assertion, and other issues. One passage in particular jumped out at me:

Unlike many workaholic baby boomers who define themselves by what they do and how much they work, younger generations tend to see work as only a part of their lives. Generation X and Y nurses say the flexible hours and schedules of hospital nursing attracted them to the profession in the first place. To cope with the intensity of their jobs, they say, they need time to relax and pursue other interests.

If you’re a nurse manager and a member of the Baby Boomer generation, how do you deal […]

2016-11-21T13:21:51-05:00October 7th, 2009|career, nursing perspective, students|10 Comments
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Nurses to Obama: “Don’t Love Us – Just Put Us at the Table”

Mason told the conference that she was disappointed in the remark because “that’s not what nurses need.” Nurses need to be respected for what they know and for what they do, and then they need to be given a seat at the policy table when strategies for changing the health care system are being discussed.

2016-11-21T13:21:56-05:00October 6th, 2009|career, health care policy, nursing perspective|2 Comments
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Have ‘Mercy’! One Nurse’s Take on the Latest Nurse Drama

MercyScreenshotBy Peggy McDaniel, BSN, RN

As a long-time fan of ER and Grey’s Anatomy, I looked forward to watching the first episode of Mercy, an NBC drama that focuses on three nurses instead of using doctors as the primary characters (click the image to visit the show’s Website, where you can check out the first episode). At the same time, while I’ve often laughed aloud at the tasks doctors are seen doing on Grey’s Anatomy, such as putting patients through a CT scan, it’s the characters that make the show compelling—and as a clinician, I choose to enjoy them and ignore that you rarely see a nurse at the bedside.

ER, unlike Grey’s Anatomy, featured what I would consider “real” nurses doing “real” nursing tasks backed by intelligence, education, and intuition. Maybe it made a difference that it was originally created by Michael Crichton, a doctor who obviously knew something about what happens in a clinical setting. ER skillfully blended clinical action and personal stories of strong, engaging characters. As a clinician, I loved the accuracy and drama.

I have mixed feelings about Mercy. The first episode introduced the characters, who appeared to be at least interesting, if not scintillating. Veronica, the primary character, suffers from PTSD after her return from service in Iraq. While she showed […]

2016-11-21T13:22:09-05:00September 25th, 2009|career, nursing perspective|2 Comments
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Nurse, Angel, Bride: Where’s the Substance in Coverage of Nurses?

By Barbara Glickstein, MPH, MS, RN. Glickstein is an independent broadcast journalist in NYC and a member of AJN‘s editorial board.

I’m a feminist, public health nurse, and journalist. I know how powerful the mass media is, and I keep an eye on how it represents women—as well as on how it represents and reports about nurses and nursing.

Last week was Fashion Week in New York City and the top designers, after-parties, gossip, and trends were analyzed and criticized. Even so, I was pretty surprised last Saturday when I found two separate NY Times articles on Fashion Week referring to nurses. One by Cathy Horyn, “Even Walking Away, They Still Look Good,” had this line describing a dress by a designer: “One of Ms. Scott’s signature headmistress dresses, in pink wool, had a candy-striper pink collar. It didn’t exactly say ’nurse.’”

NYTimesBoomBoomScreenshotThe second article, by Guy Trebay, quoted fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, who described a waitress “moving with gymnastic ease” through the crowd while adorned in an elegant dress at a new hot spot in Manhattan: “When you come in and see her, at first she’s like a beautiful nurse in white, bringing you your cocktail.” When once she’s dispensed her curative potions, Ms. Rowley added, the nurse–waitress magically “becomes an angel.” And, after a certain amount of time on the job at the Boom Boom Room, the nurse–angel–waitress, Ms. Rowley suggested, “may well ’become a bride’ to one of the monied denizens […]

2016-11-21T13:22:14-05:00September 23rd, 2009|career|2 Comments
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Nurse’s Aide Brings Nursing Home Sexual Abuse to Light—But Why Did It Take So Long?

NursingHomeAbuseScreenshotA few weeks ago I came across an article in a Virginia newspaper in which reporter Mike Owens wrote about the arrest of James Wright, who was indicted on four counts of aggravated sexual battery against different patients in a nursing home where he worked as a nurse’s aide from 2000 until 2007. The nursing facility, NHC HealthCare – Bristol, is one of 76 facilities owned by National HealthCare Corporation. According to the story, staff members—from peers to administrators—had known about Wright’s abuse of patients for years, but nothing was done to stop it until Patty Davenport, another nurse’s aide, frustrated and appalled that no action was being taken, lodged a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia.

To me, Davenport is a hero. But why did this take so long to come to light? A more recent article by Owens reports that several staff have accused the then director of nursing, Anne Franklin, of “trashing” their written complaints about Wright.

Through her attorney, Franklin denies this. I hope it’s not true. I’d like to think that any nurse who learned of such egregious acts would immediately take action to protect patients and blow the whistle long and hard. […]

2016-11-21T13:22:16-05:00September 22nd, 2009|career|1 Comment
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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