By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
A nurse leader laments about what she sees as a loss of professionalism in nursing. We are now watching the uberization of nursing, complete with expectations of surge pricing. The focus is now on one’s personal needs and whether the job can meet those expectations. There is little discussion about nursing as a calling or even a profession. My younger nurses tell me that nursing is not what they expected – a bitter and overworked staff, patients, and families who are entitled and yell at them, accompanied by a relentless discussion about budgetary problems. Much of what they say is true, but I don’t know how to respond sometimes and feel that I am not heard even when I do. As a byproduct of this pandemic, I feel like we have lost control of the narrative of what nursing is and should be. There is so much cynicism, especially among our youngest staff.
This leader is not alone in her observations. In an op-ed piece on May 27th in the New York Times, Jessica Gross contends that Generation Z is cynical, but they earned it. As an outcome of what they see in their lives, from climate range to gun control, this generation, which includes nurses under 25, has determined that institutions don’t work and adults won’t save them. They are designed to question authority and point out the painful realities in their environments. They have become especially skillful at organizing each other and using media networks to communicate, argue, and message their ideas. So much of this conversation happens outside the normal channels that leaders use, from TikTok to Facebook groups. I have noticed a trend that they are increasingly underrepresented in nursing surveys which may be because they see no point in participating.
Kevin Munger, a political science professor at Penn State, observes that the generation divide is huge right now and that the digital revolution has bonded Generation Z in new ways. He notes that “one thing I think is underappreciated is how social media short-circuits the intergenerational transmission of culture and values. In the past, kids watched cartoons, and older people made the cartoons. But today, a huge percentage of the media that young people consume is created by, for, and about other young people. That means they are more in their own world.”
I think Munger is right about this. Some health systems have seen their narratives hijacked by Generation Z nurses who talk to influencers about the staffing challenges and are willing to post anonymous text messages about staffing. They make their own recommendations about the best places to work, essentially boycotting employers who are viewed as mistreating staff. Discussion about pay is transparent, and experienced travel nurses are happy to review the contracts of those newer to make sure that they are being treated fairly. One nurse manager told me that a local hospital began offering a $25,000 sign-on bonus for critical care. My staff was aware of the opportunity within one hour of it being publicized.
So how should leaders respond to this? As a beginning point, it is important to understand that you may not have control over the narrative in ways that you have had in the past. I also think that one nurse director had the right idea about how to approach this new dilemma. She said, I don’t personally watch the TikTok videos on a regular basis nor do I visit the FaceBook and Reddit forums that my younger staff consume and seem to enjoy. What I do instead is sit down with my young nurses on a regular basis and ask about things out there on social media. I ask the question – what should I know about that is out there but probably don’t know? This opens the conversation and sometimes I do cringe at what they tell me but guess what – I would rather know than not.
© emergingrnleader.com 2022
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