For once--I don't think low pay is is actually the core problem. In WA, nurses are paid more than any other industry with the same education level (AS or BS) and per hour, the experienced nurses I know work 30 hours and make six figures.

The problem is the hospitals will not hire more people. Not, there are open positions. Hospitals are cutting headcount. Actively.

Not only that, but we do not have enough nursing schools. Baby boomer nurses are retiring and there are years-long waitlists to get into nursing school. You have to have a higher GPA for many nursing schools than you do to get into med school (4.0 is the min unless you have exceptional extenuating circumstances for your essay).

I know many nurses who frequently top $100 per hour not to mention call. But many of these people quit their hospitals when it became obvious that they could be sued for the inevitable death of patients, due to shortages.