Gen Y nurses ‘not as committed’

The healthcare system is failing Generation Y nurses, ultimately forcing some of these young workers to exit Australian hospitals, new research reveals.

The research, conducted by Southern Cross University in New South Wales, compares the workplace experience for Generation Y nurses, born between 1980 and 2000, and Baby Boomer nurses aged 45 to 65 years.

Pictured is a nurse from Queensland University of Technology’s School of Nursing.

Professor Yvonne Brunetto, lead researcher and head of management at the university’s Business School, believes the “generations differ” when it comes to values and beliefs.

Some of the study’s findings show:

• Gen Y is not as committed to their organisation, whereas Baby Boomers are more likely to stay.
• Gen Y believe their roles and responsibilities in the workplace should be of a “clinical-nature”, whereas Baby Boomers are more than happy to look after the flowers of their patients.
• Gen Y is more goal and career-orientated and is likely to experience more difficulty in relating to superiors.
• Those in Gen Y are more computer-literate and more likely to pursue training and development opportunities, whereas Baby Boomers are more inclined to “stay put”.

According to Professor Brunetto, more work is needed to “build a stronger sense of wellbeing to encourage more nurses to remain in the industry”.

She admits “money acts as an incentive, but only to a point”.

“Whether people stay or go is largely a product of how good their supervisor is. Nurses will chase dollars, but they won’t stay for dollars – they’ll stay because of relationships,” she adds.

Despite the findings revealing many differences in workplace experiences among the two generations, Professor Brunetto maintains all nurses have “similar beliefs” about the nature of nursing.

“They all understand the importance of certain clinical values to save lives. This is unchanged regardless of a nurse’s age,” she claims.

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