Preparing for the future (after NCLEX)

[Alesium]

Hello. My clinical leader just called me to congratulate me on passing my NCLEX and receiving my license (she was able to look this up in my state's BON database thing before I could pay for my unofficial results :) ). I am now no longer a graduate nurse and am working full-time on a medical-surgical floor as a registered nurse (as of tomorrow! eeeee!). Now that I am BSN-RN, what do I do? How do I prepare for the future? Any recommendations for things such as license insurance/protection or professional associations to join? I am currently living and employed in the state of Tennessee. Thanks, Ales

[scaredsilly, BSN, RN]

Joining professional organizations-not a bad idea, but if you are too busy to be involved then don't just join to put it on your resume.

Getting extra certifications is ALWAYS a good idea, and you should get financial help from the facility you work in, I would look into that and work on that before doing much else.

As for malpractice insurance, never a bad idea. See what kind of coverage you have at work though, it may not be needed. If it is, it's not expensive.

Congrats on your job!! Learn as much as you can, that is the best thing you can do for your career!