Medical staffs today consist of a blend of four generations: the World War II Silent Generation (1925–1942), baby boomers (1943–1961), Generation X (1962–1981), and Generation Y (1982–1998).
Each generation brings with it a different work ethic, mode of communication, and definitions of professionalism and loyalty. If you're unaware of these generational differences or don't accept that they are sitting on your doorstep, they could stymie your recruitment efforts.
Differences include learning, teaching, and communication style, approach to clinical schedules, concept of work-life balance, academic and personal motivation, level of control of the work experience, and effective productivity incentives, according to "The Impact of New-Generation Physicians on the Function of Academic Anesthesiology Departments," which appeared in the December 2007 Current Opinion in Anesthesiology.
The first thing you need to know about generational and, therefore, cultural differences between older and younger physicians is that you can't change them.
"If you attempt to change someone else's culture, you are going to be in for a long fight," says Phillip Kibort, MD, MBA, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota in Minneapolis and St. Paul. "The best leaders are the ones who work with these differences as opposed to trying to change them."
Second, Generation X and Y are changing the definition of professionalism and loyalty. The Silent Generation and baby boomers generally consider medicine a calling and have dedicated their lives to their practice. Gen Xers and Yers, however, probably regard medicine as a career or job. They want to take time off for volunteer work, work 8 a.m.–5 p.m., and play an active role in their families.
"We now have two very discrepant ideas of what a professional is, and they are both right," says Tracy Sanson, MD, FACEP, associate professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Gen Xers and Yers also grew up in the age of Sam's Club and eBay, and they're loyal to a brand as long as that brand delivers on their ever-increasing expectations. If a brand fails to satisfy, they look for a better deal, and that goes for jobs too.
And this is probably a good thing. Gen X and Y have forced the medical community to introduce creative recruitment and retention strategies, such as paternity leave, flex time, and part-time schedules, which Sanson says is desperately needed to attract future generations of physicians. This flexibility is also good for older generations, who are faced with the challenge of caring for ailing parents.
In addition, members of the Silent Generation and baby boomers entered into practice with the idea that they would move up the ladder and become a hospital leader in 20 years. "The Xers and Yers come in and want to know why they are not department director already," says Sanson.
The new definitions Gen Xers and Yers bring to professionalism and loyalty have thrown older physicians for a loop. Twenty years ago, medical staff leaders had the luxury of mulling over recruiting decisions for weeks, or even months.
"Now, if you are not texting them as they are getting in their car after an interview, they think you are not interested in them and they move on," says Sanson.
To leverage the strengths that all four generations bring to the workplace, she suggests developing a mentoring program that pairs members of the Silent Generation and baby boomers with Gen Xers and Yers.
"The Xers and Yers forget that the Silent Generation and baby boomers have institutional knowledge and a wealth of experience, so we need to tap into that," says Sanson. At the same time, Gen Xers and Yers bring the "why does it need to be done that way?" mentality to the table, which forces institutions to evolve.
Keep in mind that these mentoring relationships should not be created with the idea of one person denigrating the other for what he or she doesn't know. It's not about the younger physicians saying, "Here, let me teach you how to use e-mail," says Sanson.
If getting physicians onto the medical staff and keeping them there isn't difficult enough, finding younger physicians who are interested in becoming medical staff leaders certainly is. To help fulfill that need, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota has developed a program that invites young physicians with leadership potential to undergo two years of leadership training at a local university.
"There is still a high percentage who aren't interested, but we get a good return on investment for the ones we do work with," says Kibort. "We hope those people will participate more in the hospital.
This article was adapted from one that originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Health Governance Report, a HealthLeaders Media publication.