Scarce Resources Article
NUR 531
May 12, 2014
Annette Marget
Scarce Resources Article It is widely known that workforce issues within the nursing profession have been the center of many research studies. As the average age of nurses increase, it is noted that there are generational differences and preferences amongst nurses. It is evident that nurses from different generations must work together in the field. Generational diversity between nurses is considered a scarce resource in nursing as the available quantity is less than the desired results. To balance the gaps in generations, the works environments of nurses must be attractive to the young and older nurses (Hendricks & Cope, 2012). Generational diversity is experienced on many levels and it is left up to nurse managers to provide the workforce with all generations of nurses despite the differences in attitudes, ethics, or morals they may possess. According to Hendricks and Cope (2012), “A generation is defined here as an identifiable group that shares birth years, age location and important life events at critical developmental stages” (p. 718). There are six American generations that are defined with four generations making up the majority of the nursing workforce: Pre-Depression, Depression, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z (Williams, Page, Petrosky, & Hernandez, 2010). Generations are defined by the year individuals were born. The Baby Boomers currently have the most individuals present (Williams, Page, Petrosky & Hendricks, 2010). The next influential factor on generational diversity in nursing is cultural experiences. According to Hendricks and Cope (2012), “Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs or artefacts of an organization and its members” (p. 718). Culture is learned and shaped by life experiences. Life experiences provide individuals with the ability to adopt detailed work ethics and morals. The work ethics nurses present to the workforce directly affects their views on the quality and quantity of work they will perform. Lastly, the generational gap in the nursing profession is influenced by the exposure to technology and electronics. It is noted that the most recent generations have been exposed to the newest, most up to date technology used to complete their job tasks (Foley, Myrick, & Yonge, 2012). Most nursing settings have a nurse manager that develops standards for nurses to uphold within a workplace. Recognizing different generation’s behaviors and the mental models that they use is the first step in addressing the generational divide amongst the nursing workforce (Hendricks & Cope, 2012). The challenges nurse managers will be faced with include communication, commitment and compensation. Nurse managers should recognize each generation’s approach to communication to create a cohesive workplace (Hendricks & Cope, 2012). If the communication is not addressed in the work environment, the respect for others will be bypassed. It is important that the workforce work together to set goals for their environments as well as for patients (Hendricks & Cope, 2012). Judging the amount of commitment an individual has towards a cohesive work environment is important to assist nurse managers in developing work environments that allow for the highest quality of care to be provided (Hendricks & Cope, 2012). According to Hendricks and Cope (2012), “Knowledge of generational staff mix allows the nurse manager to develop a work environment that manages individuals in a way which best suits their motivational characteristics” (p. 722). Addressing the three “C’s” allows the gaps in generations to be bridged within the work field. The nursing
