By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN
It has been said that demographic changes are like dramas in slow motion because they unfold incrementally. All of a sudden you have that “aha” moment when you realize that things are different. Such is the case with the a phenomena that nurse leaders are experiencing today with the challenge of retaining their Generation Y nurses. These young nurses grew up in a time of high job volatility and little job security. It is not surprising that they view their career planning in a much different way than previous generations. The idea of a long career with one employer is not an expectation nor it necessarily viewed as desirable by this generational cohort. They may even be reluctant to take tuition reimbursement if it means stayed committed to an employer.
Instead, Generation Y nurses want to continually add to their skills in meaningful ways. They may feel they have achieved mastery of a job after 1-2 years and are ready to move on. You may see them still working to achieve a level of competency with their roles but their perceptions could be different. This is a dilemma for healthcare organizations who are investing heavily in residency programs and specialty training to help these young nurses in their transition. The goal is to keep our best and brightest nurses at the bedside working with patients for at least a few years. So you can imagine the dismay of nurse leaders when a new graduate completes a residency program, attends a critical care course and then resigns in 18 months to attend a CRNA program fulltime.
There are no easy answers to this dilemma. On the one hand, we want to promote professional development but turnover is disruptive to care and training involves resources that are in short supply in many healthcare agencies today. What we do know from the research is that Generation Y nurses expect the following from their managers:
- Sensitivity to work-life balance
- Space to do their jobs
- A manager who listens to them
- Frequent, constructive feedback
- Career counseling and development
- Advocacy
- A fun work environment
- Rewards for accomplishment
In a recent article in Hospitals and Health Networks, leadership expert Karen Kerfoot noted that turnover at this point is about 14% nationwide in hospital settings. Her guidance to hospital leaders was to consider 4 measures that are key to retaining nursing today. These include:
- A reduction in overtime requirements – this is especially important with Generation Y nurses who value work-life balance.
- Practice shared-governance – research indicates that Generation Y values the importance of their involvement in decision making and want to be heard.
- Implement data-driven staffing – nurses don’t want to be placed in what they consider to be unsafe staffing situations to care for patients. Of all the generational groups though, Generation Y is most likely to leave an employer when they become dissatisfied.
- Develop quality of life initiatives – Generation Y want work that is personally fulfilling, enriching and value the “fun” factor missing in so many healthcare settings where work is intense and serious. Shift flexibility is important. In the very near future, there will also be a need for parental accommodation as many Gen Y’s born after 1981 become parents.
Retaining Generation Y nurses will require different strategies than were used with previous generations. In today’s complex environment, we want well-educated nurses at the point of care. Getting them there initially may still be easy today but keeping them there will not be.
Read to Lead
Brack, J. (2012). Maximizing millennials in the workplace. University of North Carolina Executive Business Education Whitepaper.
Kerfoot. K. (August 20th, 2015). Four measure that are key to retaining nurses. Hospitals and Health Networks Blog.
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