Read the attached article, Motivating an intergenerational staff.  in 2-3 paragraphs to give your thoughts on the questions raised in the scenario - do you see things from a different perspective than those in the scenario?  How does your 'generation' affect your perspective?

 

Scenario New graduate turnover has risen to an all-time high, over 50%. The chief nursing officer is worried and has spoken to the nurse manager. A series of exit interviews of new graduates has revealed that they do not feel welcome and feel that they are subject to "hazing" by senior nurses at this hospital. What can be done about this problem? It is in everyone's best interest to increase the retention rate. Replacement of a staff nurse can cost well over $60,000 (Jones, 2005). When a unit works understaffed, everyone suffers. Therefore, to remedy the situation, everyone is going to have to get involved. The Traditionalists and Baby Boomers like to be told how wonderful they are. Boomers are not fond of advice for improvement, but they do like the face-to-face time with the manager, and they crave positive input. They like the personal attention from their manager. They must be included in the solution to this problem because some of them are causing it. Forming a retention committee to eliminate the hazing can be a way to give them input into the operation of the unit and to let them help define ways to make the new graduate feel more welcome. The Boomer nurses need to be heard and thanked for their contributions, but they expect to and should be held accountable for their actions. Personal attention and acceptance from the manager and nurse colleagues are important to younger nurses. However, younger nurses view personal attention much differently from their more senior colleagues who value the face time and meetings. Younger nurses do not want to sit down face-to-face and have a chat. They want constructive feedback about how they are doing, and they want it often and quick, i.e., at the time the event or observation occurs. They want to improve, to become a more marketable commodity, so they need input to help achieve this growth. They would prefer to receive a verbal or e-mail response from their manager or senior colleagues about how they are doing. They want input into specific incidents and to know what they did well and how they might have reacted differently. They want to focus attention on events where they did well and to be applauded for it. Hearing negative comments such as, "I learned the hard way, so can you" and "You have your license, figure it out" are counter-productive to getting the outcomes of the unit met. These types of negative feedback destroy the sense of community and affiliation so necessary to human beings and drive the young nurses away. Making all nurses aware that this type of behavior is happening and is unacceptable is essential to getting control of the situation. It may be necessary to take disciplinary action in extreme cases, but much of the problem may simply stem from habit, indifference, or a lack of generational sensitivity. Confronting the behavior is the first step to stopping it.

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In examining the scenario presented its evident that the issue of high turnover among new graduates ... View the full answer