There is Hope!!

Lately, I pondered the question of “….how would the retiring Boomer Long-Term Post-Acute Care (LTPAC) leaders be replaced….?"  With the average age of administrator’s being in their 50’s, this is a real challenge for licensure boards, employers and educators.  Public policy makers will need to find some solutions to this complex problem.

I had the opportunity to work with a number of students who are majoring in healthcare administration and are going out on a one-year practicum.  I found them to be a delight to teach, but also to learn from.  They are bright, focused,  passionate about the LTPAC sector and were excited to learn about the profession.

It was enlightening and heartening to interact with this group, as they progressed in their studies.  They asked great questions, researched many of the challenges facing our sector, and suggested innovative methods to approach some of the difficult issues facing the LTPAC sector. 

What has been encouraging to me was that the students were from the millennial generation and very interested in an aging services career!   There have been some articles and suggestions about the characteristics of this coming generation that were considered to be negative, when compared to Boomers.   I did not find the “generalities” about millennials that have been suggested to be true nor accurate.  They were serious with their studies, willing to learn, and excited about working in the sector. 

It gave me considerable comfort that these students will make great leaders in the LTPAC sector.  Now the question is how do we find more of the millennials that will be willing to prepare to learn and enter this profession?

Submitted by Steven Chies, Faculty at Saint Joseph's College