VOLUME 32, ISSUE 2

Millennials. To many of the people reading this article, the word “millennial” is just a description of an age group. However, to many others, this word incites frustration with a generation younger than themselves. These frustrations exist in aspects of medical education as well. Teaching methods that worked well for previous generations may not be well suited for our current students. In the next few issues of the TSA Newsletter, we will address generational differences, various teaching styles that optimize generational learning, and the novel use of social media in Graduate Medical Education.

Most people agree with the generational theory; the belief that individual values, motivations, and behaviors can be inferred by the individual’s date of birth. Educating educators on generational beliefs and effective teaching methods for each generation is one of the keys to generational learning [1]. It is important to note that changes in ideals between generations occurs gradually. The closer two people are in birth years, the more likely it is that they share values across generations. However, as the age gap widens, there frequently exists a stark difference in beliefs between the two people [2].

In the setting of academic medicine, there exists three primary generations: Baby Boomers- age 56-74 (1946-1964), Generation X- age 39-55 (1965-1981), and Generation Y- age 20-38 (1982-2000) [3]. Medical schools are currently enrolling a 4th generation: Generation Z (those born after 1995) [4]. There are three main patterns evident as we move through these generations: increased use of technology, need for immediate feedback, and collaboration in learning. Our learners are almost exclusively younger than our faculty members. In order to optimize the learning experience, faculty need to understand generational differences and adapt their teaching styles.

Historically, Baby Boomers feel that they learn best through traditional classroom instruction and face-to-face communication. Generation X students typically gain knowledge from available online videos and fast-paced programs and then work independently to solve problems. Generation Y students thrive on technology. They learn through collaboration with peers via chat rooms and team meetings and with teachers via mentoring-coaching experiences [3]. Generation Z students, also known as iGen, are “digital natives” who grew up around technology. They prefer learning through a mix of online and in-person experiences and expect to be mentored through each new learning activity [4]. Compared to Baby Boomers and Generation X, Generation Y and Z students typically prefer immediate feedback. In fact, many young learners find dissatisfaction with their jobs because of perceived lack of acknowledgment or appreciation of their efforts [5]. Intermittent or, even worse, negative feedback leaves Generation Y & Z students feeling disconnected which ultimately negatively effects their work performance. Consequently, faculty must check-in frequently with their Generation Y and Z residents to give feedback to them on their clinical and non-clinical performance.

Currently, there are countless ways residents use technology to learn about anesthesiology and medicine.

Some of these learning methods are completely foreign to other generations. Experienced faculty should take advantage of their residents’ technological skills and learn how to incorporate new technology into teaching [5]. By collaborating with the residents in this way, learning can be enhanced and the connection between faculty and resident can be strengthened in a very unique manner.

Clearly, these generational differences that exist between faculty and residents require changes in teaching styles in order to optimize learning. Various techniques can be used to narrow the ‘learning gap’ between graduate medical educators and their learners. In our next article, we will explore teaching styles that optimize the learning effect for our current generation of students.