[omginternets]

I went to an undergraduate school with a fairly large nursing program, and interacted with a fair number of nursing students. One thing I noted was that a large proportion of nursing students were first-generation college students from lower-middle-class and working class backgrounds. I suspect that the meme of nursing being "well paid" stems from the fact that it is a step-up in that context.

[gedy]

This is my antidotal experience as well from extended family and friends. Many (mostly young women) weren't really sure what to do and picked nursing because "it pays well" and had a romanticized/simplistic view of nursing. Didn't seem particularly interested or passionate about it, so I can see how many would lose interest once the reality of the hard work in the midst of a pandemic.