How to cite: MacDonald S. “Bridging the Generation Gap: Teaching Gen Z Learners.” September 19, 2025. Accessed Feb 2026. https://grandroundsinurology.com/bridging-the-generation-gap-teaching-gen-z-learners/
Summary
Susan MacDonald, MD, Associate Professor of Urology, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, outlines defining traits of Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, describing how each group’s formative experiences shaped their communication, work, and learning habits. She highlights that Gen Z, born after 1997, are true “digital natives” who have grown up fully immersed in technology. They multitask across multiple platforms, have shorter attention spans, and rely on instant access to information. Unlike previous generations, they are independent learners, globally connected, diversity-minded, and value authenticity and inclusion.
She contrasts the hierarchical culture of medical training with Gen Z’s expectation of egalitarian collaboration and rapid feedback. They prefer interactive, “a la carte” education that is active, case-based, and personalized. Dr. MacDonald encourages faculty to shift from traditional passive learning models toward methods that include tailored pre-reading, immediate feedback, and structured intraoperative coaching.
Using examples from her clinical teaching, she recommends assigning discrete tasks, giving learners autonomy in selecting procedural focus, and providing concrete, actionable feedback. She also underscores the role of video-based and short-form digital learning for asynchronous skill development. Her five core strategies for teaching Gen Z are to clearly articulate expectations, provide digital preparatory materials, use video wherever possible, deliver timely private feedback, and summarize key lessons at the end of each interaction.
About The 29th Annual Innovations in Urologic Practice:
Presented by co-chairs Mohit Khera, MD, MBA, MPH, and Michael Coburn, MD, FACS, the Innovations in Urologic Practice conference provides a detailed review and commentary on multiple genitourinary and urologic diseases. Among the featured oncological topics are bladder cancer and immunotherapies, as well as upper tract cancer management, prostate cancer, including state-of-the-art imaging, focal therapy, and MRI. Experts also discuss new tools and techniques for nephrectomy and treating advanced renal cell carcinoma. In terms of general urological approaches, the conference also includes pelvic reconstruction and trauma, men’s health topics like male infertility and sexual dysfunction, and ways to diagnose and treat infections in the urology patient.
For further educational activities from this conference, visit our collection page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan MacDonald, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urology at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Dr. MacDonald specializes in urethral reconstruction, prosthetic urology, graft and flap creation, and microsurgical dissection.
