Teaching Millennials and Generation Z

Abstract

Each generation is defined not solely by the date of their birth, but also for their beliefs, their priorities, and their motivations. Many factors play heavily into the development of each generation's collective identify, including parenting styles, significant political and current events, changing gender roles, and other formative experiences. These factors significantly and uniquely influence how each generation lives, learns, and interacts with others (Gerhardt, 2016). While most medical educators today are baby boomers, the majority of medical students are millennial and generation Z individuals, who communicate, learn, and interact very differently than their instructors. As a result, effective medical educators are challenged to update their methods of instruction to best suit these newer generations of learners for better assimilation, clinical application, and long-term retention of material, to maintain delivery of high-quality healthcare in the country for future generations (Desy et al., 2017; Waljee, 2018).