I am a new grad. A chief of staff of a major northern California health system told me, "RNs and their high salaries made new graduate programs cost prohibitive." I work in a hospital . And work with a few people who could retire. but they've opted to continue working, buying property, cars, while i work every day, rent a room in a house , wishing i had the same opportunities they were given as a new grad. The high paid bay area RN just isnt sustainable to the future of nursing.