nursing is one of those professions which people take for granted but in order to become an RN in the US, you do need to work hard. getting the license or the BSN degree isn't easy. what you have to understand is that there is a huge shortage of nurses (esp RNs) due to many factors such as baby boomers, lack of class rooms & teachers, people quitting due to the stress etc. in many states, there's competition to even get into nursing school. only so many make it.

like any other profession, an RN gets paid according to location. in the biggest metros a new grad makes around $28. maybe $18 in small midwest states. after a few yrs and with enough experience, an RN can make anywhere from $40-$50/hr in big cities with benefits and if you have a family benefits from hospitals are pretty good (ask people working @ kaiser permanente). with some overtime, an RN can command a six figure income annually.

bottom line, to be an RN is not easy, an RN can work only so many days a week (maybe 3-4 days), schedule is highly flexible, salary is very good esp in big cities and not to forget it can be highly stressful many days of the month.