Generational Mentoring

Abstract

Healthcare organizations struggle with the best way to integrate new staff members, including novice and experienced nurses returning to practice, into the organization. One way of accomplishing this integration is mentoring. Mentoring is a process of guiding the development of another person. The methods used to mentor staff members can be influenced by the generation to which they belong. Each generation typically experiences different events that shape their expectations and responses. Consideration of the influence of these events can improve the effectiveness of the mentoring process.

Walking With another: rural nurses' experiences of mentoring

“…Mentoring nurses tend to repeat the process with other nurses for the socialization of [clinicians], scholars and scientists into the professional community and for the proliferation of a body of nursing knowledge (1996: 315). of mentoring (Barker, 2006) and the outcomes of mentoring (Firtko et al, 2005). Only recently has there been a shift in focus to examine the actual experience of either mentors or mentees in relation to the traditional triumvirate of nurse mentoring (Waters et al, 2003;Carroll, 2004;Gibb et al, 2004Gibb et al, , 2006Beecroft et al, 2006;Stewart, 2006). These recent studies add depth to the literature as compared to the didactic nature of many of the previous publications.…”

Generational Considerations in Providing Critical Care Education

“…This way, the Generation X student knows who they can turn to in order to "bounce-off" ideas. 9 They will appreciate references and resources such as Web sites, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers. Generation X people enjoy learning by doing, are very flexible, and have a very strong desire for positive feedback.…”

Genetic counselor workforce generational diversity: Millennials to Baby Boomers

“…These groupings exist under the assumption that individuals in these cohorts are shaped by shared experiences that occurred at critical points in their lives. Because these collective experiences may have a deep and lasting impact, it is widely hypothesized that individuals in each generation develop certain communal values, beliefs, or characteristics that define them as different from those individuals coming before or after them (Stewart, ). While drawing a hard line between the end of one generation and the start of the next can be difficult, each generation typically covers a span of 15–20 years (Weingarten, ).…”

“…Generation Xers were increasingly raised by single parents or blended families, had working mothers, and were termed latchkey children, as parents focused on their personal goals and not on hands‐on child raising (Beutell, ). This generation dealt with the AIDS crisis, downturn of the stock market, and the recession of 1990, as well as increasing crime and divorce rates (Stewart, ). While loyal to employers, Generation X is less likely to view their current position as a promise of employment until retirement, and is more likely to explore career moves.…”

“…While loyal to employers, Generation X is less likely to view their current position as a promise of employment until retirement, and is more likely to explore career moves. This generation, in divergence from the Baby Boomers before them, established more balance in their lives between work and personal life, and were more willing to pass up career‐enhancing opportunities that would compromise their work–life balance (Stewart, ). Characteristics assigned to this generation include being resourceful and independent (Jobe, ).…”