Mentoring Millennials

Description/Overview: Millennials, those born between 1977 and 1997 and also referred to as Generation Y, compromise one of the largest segment of undergraduate and graduate nursing education programs as well as the workforce. Millennials have a wide range of characteristics and talents that they bring to their education programs and their workplace. They are known for being naturally curious, technologically savvy, they want work that is personally fulfilling and that connects to a larger purpose, they also desire a great deal of feedback and like to be noticed. Often limited access to experienced mentors in leadership positions and their advanced knowledge of health care and the workings of the organization can be perceived by Millennials as a barrier to career development and advancement. The second largest cohort in both the educational and nursing workforce are Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964. Boomers, as they are often referred to, also have a wide range of characteristics and talents they bring to the academic or work setting including extensive experience and expertise but may be limited in the arena of technology, trends, and understanding younger generational nuances, for example how to communicate with Millennials. Millennials are used to searching for and choosing their own mentors, of which they may have more than one at a time and their mentors are not limited to their academic or work settings. These relationships also tend not to be the traditional mentorship relationship where the mentor, who is older and wiser helps the less experienced mentee with the achievement of their career goals. Today Millennials embrace reverse, group and peer mentorship as ways to achieve their careers goals. Reverse mentoring is where a younger individual acts as a mentor to share their expertise with a more senior colleague, the mentee. This cross-generational relationship can be mutually beneficial to both Millennials and Boomers as they tap into the wisdom of the other. In this presentation we describe the similarities and differences of Millennials and Boomers, show how reverse and other non-traditional models of mentorship may be strategies educational programs and workplaces can use to benefit both groups.