As a graduate nurse (GN), your job is to work in a nursing department while pursuing your certification as a registered nurse (RN). This is a transitional status between nursing student and RN, and most GNs receive full accreditation within six months of graduating from college. Your primary responsibilities in this position include almost anything a regular nurse may do, including providing health care in areas like surgery, adult medicine, neonatal care, or an emergency department. The main difference between this and regular nursing work is that graduate nurses must be supervised by a registered nurse when providing care to a patient. This supervision is mandatory in all states.