Nurse practitioner's, with a MS in their particular field, command the
salaries you speak of and are able to prescribe some drugs and treatments much
like a PA does.

A close friend just became a nurse practitioner after being a well paid RN for
7 years. Her salary bump was tiny. She's barely making 100K. I asked her about
and she said she could earn far more if she left the city hosp. She loves it
there and money just isn't the main issue (it shouldn't be) in the field. As an
RN, she turned down chances for critical care home nursing positions that would
have paid her highly. Again, this is a white woman in a field that seems to be
populated by people of color, heavy accents and poor language skills. Where
Suzanne is working now, NO nurse ever touches a bedpan.

RB