Generational Empathy: An Approach for Addressing Generational Differences.

Abstract

Generational differences result in conscious and unconscious biases that affect day-to-day interactions among professionals in the field of pediatrics. From the millennial trainee to the baby boomer seasoned clinician educator, including the three authors of this article, who span three generations, all are guilty to some extent. Pediatricians are not alone. In fact, some of them may even be in “exalted” company: > “They [Young People] have exalted notions because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things, and that means having exalted notions. They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones. Their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning. All their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently.” > > Aristotle1 Every day, multidisciplinary teams of pediatric health care professionals converge in a clinical setting, hoping to create a psychologically healthy workplace where all generations feel included and valued in patient care discussions. Nonetheless, although health care team members in the field of pediatrics intentionally work to remedy the generational differences that arise between parents and their children, generational comparisons persist. We all are products of our own generational upbringings and the events that shaped our own lives, which, in turn, lead to perceptions about other generations that may or may not be true. We then may treat others … Address correspondence to Christian D. Pulcini, MD, MPH, MEd, Department of Surgery and Pediatrics, The Robert Larner College of Medicine, The University of Vermont and The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, 111 Colchester Avenue, Burlington, Vermont 05401. E-mail: christian.pulcini{at}uvm.edu