> The $5200/wk rate is more likely 3 or 4 12-hour shifts

3 or 4 12 hour shifts a week is normal for salaried nurses. $5200/wk isn't. It's over double.

> which pay outrageously but often require a full week of 12-hour shifts or something similar with the expectation the nurse will only do one week then recover.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Yes, it may be a full week of 12 hour shifts, but it's still a much higher pay. And if you get the next week off, it's a fantastic deal.

For context, pre-pandemic, I knew a nurse who often would do this schedule for her salaried job - she requested it as she liked having a full week off.

What I mentioned elsewhere: Travel nurses have a lot more control over the contracts they take. They can work fewer hours per year and still make significantly more. They may have stretches of long hours in a given contract, but annually they work less.