Beyond the classroom: using technology to meet the educational needs of multigenerational perinatal nurses.

For the first time in history, there are 4 distinct generations of nurses working side by side at the clinical bedside: Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. All the generations have their unique personalities, beliefs, values, and learning styles. Approach to learning range from the traditional instructional method preferred by the Veteran's nurses to the more advanced technology (eg, Web-based, webinars, simulations, podcasts, and blogs) approach favored by Generation Y. Nurse educators and clinical nurse specialists must consider each generation's style of learning to best engage, stimulate, and promote transference and assimilations of new knowledge. This article briefly describes the generational learning style differences and explores alternative educational modalities to the traditional classroom instruction.