title: Is your residency program ready for Generation Y?
abstract: Current residency applicants are members of Generation Y and are significantly different from previous generations of trainees as well as the faculty who attract, recruit, and manage them. Generation Y has been affected by globalization, diversification, terrorism, and international crisis. They are products of the self-esteem movement in child rearing, education, and extracurricular activities where they were all declared winners. Children's activities no longer had winners and losers or first, second, and third place; every child received a participation trophy. Even though they were raised to be a team player, their parents always told them they are special. Technology is ingrained into their daily lives, and they expect its use to be effective and efficient. Generation Y-ers desire to impact the world and give back to their communities and demand immediate access to leadership. This generation poses a challenge to residency programs that will need to attract, recruit, and manage them effectively. This article will provide an overview of Generation Y, contrast Generation Y with Generation X, and discuss how to use generation-specific strategies to attract, recruit, and manage a Generation Y resident.
authors.affiliation: Division of Surgical Education, Department of Surgery, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Schlitzkus
authors.forename: Kimberly D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Schenarts
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schenarts
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D012570:School Admission Criteria