Generational differences can often be the source of disagreements and misunderstandings. It happens in every profession and nurse anesthesia is no different. Erin Martin, CRNA, DNP, is the Program Director at the Mayo Nurse Anesthesia Program and has an incredible grasp on how and why each generation is different. She joins today to provide a thorough examination of these unique communication characteristics and how we can use them to improve education.
Click the timestamps below to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
On This Episode:
Over the past decade, it seems like generational differences have really been accentuated. Maybe it’s the rapid advancements in technology or the rise of social media, but words like ‘Boomer’ and ‘Snowflake’ have become a part of our vernacular.
So much of what makes us different is often looked at as a negative, but what if we spent more energy learning about what makes each generation unique and the reasons why we think the way we do?
That’s what Erin Martin, CRNA, DNP, is the Program Director at the Mayo Nurse Anesthesia Program is trying to help us accomplish on this episode of Beyond the Mask. She has a tremendous grasp on the challenges and the opportunities that exist for CRNAs and SRNAs. Today we’ll get into a detailed discussion on each generation and the different communication styles they possess. By doing so, it can give us all better awareness in our professional and personal lives.
So as you get started on the episode, keep an ear out for these topics:
- How she got interested in this topic.
- The four or five different generations we have in the world today.
- What has influenced each generation
- How do these generational qualities impact the nurse anesthesia profession?
- The communication preferences for each generation and how we got there.
- What can we do to bridge the gap and relate better between each generation?
Check it out the interview at the top of the page and use the timestamps to help you navigate through the many topics we discussed.
2:55 – The root of miscommunication
4:34 – Erin’s background
5:38 – The differences in each generation
9:36 – Influences on each generation
19:47 – How this impacts nurse anesthesia
26:14 – Communication preferences
28:45 – Relating to a different generation than your own
32:27 – How do we bridge this gap?
35:44 – Relating to Millenials
37:00 – Inclusion
42:38 – Understand each other’s weaknesses
“I think when you really boil down the root cause of a lot – whether it’s miscommunication or different perspectives on things – a lot of it comes down to the generation we’re from and the fact that we were molded by the things that happened in the world during our formative years.”
-Erin Martin, DNP, CRNA
