Is your residency program ready for Generation Y?

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. Copyright 2010 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.