can use. One of these tools is a script on how to own their feelings and
address situations head-on with very specific language.
If a newer nurse feels like an older nurse is being hard on her to the
point of bullying, then she needs to have a difficult conversation. That
means finding the right time (not in the middle of a busy case!) and
saying, "I feel like we're not in agreement here, and I feel that you
don't like working with me. What can I do to make it better?" More
often than not, if you confront a bully, she will stop her bullying. At
the same time, it's important for newer nurses to understand the prob-
lem might not be personal. With all the turnover facilities face among
younger nurses, preceptors and educators can get burned out — espe-
cially at hospitals and surgical centers that are actively trying to back-
fill for the departure of retiring nurses.
In the end, if you can get different generations to understand each
other, they're much more likely to work together as a team.
OSM
Ms. Rowan (krowan1@ northwell.edu) is the director of system perioperative
education at Northwell Health in Lake Success, N.Y.
Staffing
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2 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
Interested in finding out more about how to manage
the different generations you have working together at
your facility? Karen Rowan, MSN, RN-BC, CNOR, will present
"From Baby Boomers to Millennials: Creating a More Cohesive
Nursing Workforce" at OR Excellence, Oct. 3-5 at the Hyatt
Regency New Orleans. Ms. Rowan's talk will cover everything
from understanding the different generations and the correspon-
ding stereotypes about them to preventing the workplace issues
— bullying, low morale, high turnover — that lead to poor patient
outcomes. Register at orexcellence.com.
Creating a Cohesive Nursing Workforce
LEARN MORE AT OR EXCELLENCE
