Stop talking about millennials

Had dinner last night with some medical students, and made the comment that current students really do not differ significantly from my class of 1975.  A story about a physician criticizing young physicians in the doctor’s dining room stimulated the thought. I have worked with medical students as an attending physician for 36 years.  Unless I am fooling myself, I can see no difference in their attitude from when I started.  But many write about how we must treat millennials differently.  Am I missing something. This wonderful article by my friend Dr. Gurpreet Dhaliwal – The Greatest Generation – commented on the issue thusly: Today’s trainees are every bit as professional, motivated to learn, and devoted to their patients as previous generations. Students and residents follow duty hours but then log on from home to monitor their patients, write orders, and stay in touch with their on-call colleagues. They come to the hospital on their mandated days off for family meetings. They connect with their patients despite unprecedented paperwork, computer work, and throughput. And yes, they are on their smartphones constantly—reading about medicine, texting colleagues to coordinate care, and talking with patients’ families. Every generation believes that the following generations are slackers and less dedicated.  We view our own pasts with rose colored glasses.  We were no better, and no worse. What is the evidence about the millennials? The Problem Wi...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs