What would I have done differently
I would have shown more on an interest in nursing management earlier in my career. I alays thought "let someone else run the show - I'm busy being a nurse".

Advice for new grad.
There would be two things I would recommend:
1. If you are graduating with an Associate's or as a LPN, I would suggest that you go on for a BSN (after a brief break from school. The longer you wait, the harder it is to go back to school, plus you need to look at how long you will still be in the workforce and is it worth the times/money to go back to school.
2. Buy (or ask for, for grad present) a PDA with enough memory on it to support a drug reference, lab reference, and Tabers. You will find it invaluable to your daily practice.
We all have an area of Nursing we are drawn to. Look for internships in OR, ICU, or L/D... if any of those are areas you're interested in. You can be garenteed steady work for good money.

pda are nice but i would just take time to memorize drugs. pdas can take longer then say sitting at the computer and using the internet. i can find a drug in about 3 seconds using the net. most pda's take 2 minutes to get that pen out of its pocket.

I would have constantly taken courses and more classes....attended more seminars....keep yourself educated...I feel sometimes like I'm getting stale...like I'm not keeping my mind sharp! Also, I agree with someone else's comment....you may think you don't want to get into management right now, but learn as much as you can, because after a few years, you might get tired of floor nursing or ER nursing, etc, and want to make a difference with management plan! ;0

Don't do what I did. I am finishing up my first year of nursing and i am wishing i had done things differently. I went into a LTC facility as a staff Rn and got promoted to a Nurse Manager about six months ago. Sounds great, right? wrong! I bit off more than i can chew. I am much too new in the nursing feild. I still have sooo much to learn and we, as new nurses, really know nothing-you'll see. Now i want to work in a hospital and i'm gettng turned down left and right because i don't have hospital experiance. It's a catch 22. So my advice: get into a hospital right away even if it's for a six months or so. You will have many more oppertunities open to you than I do.

yes go work in a hospital. all hospitals will go gaga for new nurses who arent set in their ways and try to mold you to be a long term assest for that hospital.