Thinking about groups of people by cross-generation characteristics can be overly simplifying. As long as you take it with a grain of salt — people are unique individuals, after all! — it can also provide some insight into the unique skills that those with a certain prospective bring to the table. For instance, millennials are well known for their technical skills, skills that give them a huge advantage in the health care field. Since this generation grew up on computers and with the internet, they are able to adapt to new technology quickly and oftentimes are open to introducing new technologies into their practice to improve patient care.

Large practices can be perfect for millennials, as many of those in this generation want to be part of an engaging and challenging work environment. Younger physicians expect to collaborate not only with their peers but with their patients. Research has indicated that millennial physicians are more likely to ask patients to research on their own and are not easily influenced by patient requests.

Millennials are often more open to flexible workplaces and more variety in the day-to-day work place. They aren’t tied down to procedure and processes and they are constantly looking forward to increase efficiency and improve patient interactions. Innovation is crucial in order to adapt to new technology and especially in the mobile health and telehealth fields. Millennial providers are usually more comfortable with the ‘new world’ of health care and the opportunities it presents.

Health care technology can transform patient care and millennial providers are well on their way to making it an everyday part of their practices. Collaborating on patient care will shift to a more holistic approach. Sharing information between these departments will improve patient care and millennials are all about collaborating. Innovative millennials can help lead new procedural changes, digital health tactics, and updated patient interactions to create an overall better medical experience.