Generation X,Y, etc age groups--working with them--pros & cons Term Paper

Generation X,Y, etc age groups--working with them--pros & cons - Term Paper Example This study is being undertaken in order to establish a comprehensive understanding of the nursing practice and the advantages and disadvantages of these nursing issues in the delivery of health services. Working with older and younger nurses or the generation X and the generation Y or the millennial generation can be advantageous to the nursing practice. For one, working with older nurses is advantageous because older nurses have a wealth of experience and training which is unparalleled by any other generation. Their years of working as nurses has made them adept in their duties and has given them sharper instincts in the administration of appropriate care for their patients (Hinshaw & O’Grady, 2010). There is a more instinctual and intuitive process involved in the nursing process applied by older nurses. As described by Benner (as cited by Nies & McEwen, 2001, p. 779), intuitive abilities are â€Å"responses that expert nurses have after several years of experience and these abilities enable the nurse to read between the lines†. This intuition serves older nurses well and ultimately helps to ensure better patient outcomes. Older nurses, as compared to their younger counterparts, seem to exemplify more dedication to their career as nurses. Observations made on the work ethics of older nurses reveal how these nurses possess qualities which are not apparent among younger nurses, more particularly, the qualities of courtesy and commitment (Watson, Manthorpe, & Andrews, 2003). Moreover, many employers have taken up the practice of retaining more of their older nurses because they are generally â€Å"more polite, they are more committed†¦and they turn up to work every day† (Watson, Manthorpe, & Andrews, 2003, p. 22). And with this commitment and courtesy, the patients often feel more at ease with these older nurses. Sherman (2006) also described the older generation of