Who Wants to be a Nurse: Motivation of the New Generation

AN ANSWER TO the question of “Who Wants to be a Nurse?” may exceed the time limit and resources of the lifelines available to the contestant on the popular television show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” The contestants on this show quite likely are motivated by the chance of a monetary reward. It is much less likely that people could confidently name any one factor as the key to what motivates a young person to pursue a career in nursing. There is an outcry in the media and professional literature about the need for more nurses now as well as in the future and the heavy stresses on those currently in the nursing profession, yet answers to recruitment of more young people into the profession are not forthcoming. Young people today are members of what have been called variously generation Y, the millennium generation, and echo-boomers. These labels are traditional methods to describe cohorts in the population based on demographic variables and attempts to capture shared experiences of the group. Much attention in the media continues to focus on the Baby Boomers, those 72 million people born between 1946 and 1964, and the economic and social implications of the size of that cohort. The 30 million strong Generation Xers, born between 1964 and 1981, have a different set of economic challenges facing them, the economic burden of caring for the Baby Boomers as they age. And the latest cohort, nearing the numbers of Baby Boomers with estimates from 56 to 71 million strong, depending on the years included in the cohort, has just begun to be studied for the economic and social implications of their generation. Although most nontraditional university students are Generation Xers, the traditional student entering university studies today and those who will enter for the next decade were born in this last generation, Generation Y. Understanding the differences and similarities among and between these cohorts is crucial in determining approaches for enticing a new generation to enter nursing to replace the aging Baby Boomer nurses. Most nurses in practice currently are between the ages of 42 and 59 years, members of the Baby Boomer generation. The Baby Boomers are described as possessing a deep-seated set of ideals and traditions with a strong family orientation; they are politically conservative, yet are fairly liberal socially. They have experienced economic recessions and are cautious about the future. Altruistic motives led them into nursing, and their concerns for staying in nursing revolve around the physical demands of the job, with ergonomic issues and the physical stamina needed to work long shifts leading the list of concerns. Likewise, altruistic motives were identified as leading the Generation Xer (ages 22-41) into nursing (Brendtro, 1991; Chiara, 1993; Johnson & Peterson, 1990; Kersten, Bakewell, & Meyer, 1991). Although altruistic motivations led them into nursing, they are less cautious about the future, preferring to live in the present, willing to experiment, and looking for immediate results. They are described as selfish, cynical, and dependent on their parents. They question authority and believe that they carry the burden of previous generations. Keeping them in nursing requires attention to “recognition and praise, opportunities to learn new *Assistant Professor, Western Michigan University, Bronson School of Nursing, Kalamazoo, MI. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Sadler: Western Michigan University, Bronson School of Nursing, 1903 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. © 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 8755-7223/03/1903-0000$30.00/0 doi:10.1016/S8755-7223(03)00050-4