It's OK if you don't know what nursing specialty you want. Many will tell you that you should start in Med/Surge and stay there for 1 to 2 years. Med/Surge is a great place to cut your teeth. You learn a whole lot and refine assessment and people skills. However, if you have a strong interest in a particular specialty and get a chance to try it, go for it. But be willing to stick there for at least a year. It takes that long just to know you're good at it. If you decide to leave you will still have that coveted 1st year of experience. Should I do a New Grad residency? If you get a chance to do a residency at a good teaching hospital yes go for it. Keep your future plans to yourself. If you have nothing but disdain for bedside nursing and plan to get you NP or DNP as soon as possible. Be careful to stay humble with your new peers. Many of us are working on advanced degrees and some have no desire to. Respect the experience of those who are teaching and mentoring you. Move on when you are ready to pursue the next step of your career. Show respect and listen to your preceptor. Some of us have years of experience to pass on to the young nurse who wants to learn. STEP 5: Own your mistakes. The News Flash here is that you will not be the first nurse (New or Old) who is going to make mistakes. As long as your mistake doesn't kill someone take it as a learning experience. Own it and don't make excuses. Learn what happened and why, make necessary corrections to your practice and move on. Your preceptor is not your friend! He/She has a job to do which is to teach you safe practice and the facilities expectations of its nurses (often while caring for a full assignment) . They may be friendly, warm and nice or aloof, cold and downright mean. Don't be so quick to think NETY. Learn that just because someone says something that bothers you it does not mean you have been bullied. Listen to what's being said and if any part is true own it. Writing someone up and running to HR every time someone sneezes in your direction will not help your career. Don't participate in hospital gossip! If they are spreading rumors about others they will likely spread them about you. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. We know you just graduated and have all the latest and greatest techniques and theories to share but nothing will annoy your preceptor more than hearing "That's not the way I learned it in school!". Smile and remember to go home hug your family or pets and sleep well at night. Find some balance. Nursing, for all the good things it is, is till just a job. It pays your rent, put food on the table and provides for your family, but at the end of the day you are responsible for your own happiness. For additional help, view this helpful video created by Marie MacMillan... 2 Down Vote Up Vote × About hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I (allnurses Guide) 4 Articles 5,165 Posts Share this post Share on other sites