How millennials docs can help their elders grasp technology

If you're like many of us who remember the '60s as if they were yesterday and you've had to ask a preschooler to help you figure out how to use half of the electronic gadgets in your home, you know that when it comes to the latest and greatest uses of technology, we can learn from younger generations.

The technology we're still trying to figure out has become an extension of their beings, just as much as those tie-dyed t-shirts were an extension of ours.

Oh, sure we have smartphones and other gadgets, but are we using them as we should? Probably not.

A study of 3.000 residents found 70 percent of them using smartphones for clinical purposes, but what about physicians in practice 15 years or more? Only 40 percent, says this FierceMobileHealthcare.com article.

Let's face it, when it comes to using technology, there is a lot we can learn from millennials. That's why American Medical News says some health care organizations are using reverse mentoring.

An earlier article on FierceMobileHealthcare.com included some tips for effective reverse mentoring from Encore Careers columnist Diane Piktialis, Ph.D., such as:

• Having the "pair agree on what they want to accomplish and how/when to measure the results."
• Including "dedicated time for parties to meet on a regular schedule" and "regular communication by phone or online between meetings."
• Avoiding sterotypes based on age, instead paying "attention to each other's different learning styles."

The mentoring can go both ways. Just as younger physicians can learn about bedside manner from baby boomers, millennials are ideal mentors on the myriad uses of technology in providing health care.

Do you use reverse mentoring in your organization? We'd love to hear your success stories.