Contributed by: Debbie Fletcher

If you’re still unsure who millennials are, technically speaking, they were born in the 1980’s with the oldest now being in their mid-30s. The excitement that comes from this generation is worldwide, in Norway they are called ‘Generation Serious,’ in China they are referred to as ‘ken lao zu,’ which translates to “those who bite the old folks,” and in Japan, they are called ‘nagara-zoku’ which means “people who are always doing two things at once.”

If these definitions are still leaving you confused; millennials are essentially the new age, brave group that are challenging industries with their ‘out of the box ideas’ and belief that nothing is impossible. The healthcare industries in particular are seeking out millennials to fill the gaping holes in recruitment when it comes to nurses, doctors and physicians.

The general consensus is that millennials are more tech savvy and hot on social media, meaning they can pick up on new technology and innovations faster. Looking into this in depth means that if millennials look to technology to bring value to hospitals, it’s likely that they will be providing a higher quality of care to hospitals and continually striving to improve on this.

With this attitude of continual improvement and innovation it means companies are constantly looking for new solutions too. Tente UK, for example, offer solutions for a range of markets including healthcare and hospitals and it’s this sort of customer service that millennials want to see more of, the attitude to improve instead of ‘make do’.

It’s not only the depth of experience in technology that millennials are bringing to the table; their enormous capacity for communication is having a huge effect too. According to Pew Research, over 70% of Internet users said they looked online for health information in the past year (2016) and 53% of those users then followed up their search by talking to a clinician about their findings.

Since the belief is that millennial physicians are more open minded, it’s likely they will listen to their patients research and have an open discussion about it rather than just make a diagnosis themselves and disregard the patient.

A big problem in healthcare is that processes can stay the same for a long time, even if they aren’t that effectual. The hope is that with research and the millennial innovative nature, healthcare departments will be able to provide a better experience for patients in the future.

With this in mind, it’s clear why the healthcare industry is actively seeking out millennials, they present a big opportunity for the industry through pushing boundaries and challenging the norm in order find change and produce better results. Their age group has already witnessed a tough economic climate throughout university so they’re resilient and accepting of the challenges that the government may throw their way. This attitude combined with growing up in a digital world with a better understanding of technology than their predecessors leads the generation of millennials to hopefully, transform the healthcare industry into something magnificent.

 

Debbie Fletcher is an enthusiastic, experienced writer who has written for a range of different magazines and news publications over the years.

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