My wife recently switched jobs and is now on a large “campus” with a children’s hospital. It’s on the edge of town.I'd say that most RTs today, under 40 years old, have Bachelor's degrees or even Master's.
My daughter wants to work either in Trauma or at a Children's Hospital. I'd rather she not do either because either one is going to be in a major urban area and I don't care what anyone thinks, urban areas are nasty, crime-ridden places and not safe for anyone. We will cross that bridge when it comes.
She's also talked about doing travel work once she has a year of experience; she says that most agencies require that.
Jeepman, if your nurse friend only makes $80k/year doing travel work, she isn't interested in working very much. That's about 1/2 of what a travel nurse makes working about four 12 hour shifts a week in most areas. Or she's in the wrong area(s), working for the wrong people.
We live 45 minutes away in the country.