Agency nursing work in acute care settings: Perceptions of hospital nursing managers and agency nurse providers

Abstract

• There is a paucity of research in investigating agency nursing work from the perspectives of hospital nursing managers and agency nurse providers. • This exploratory paper examines the hospital nursing managers' and agency nurse providers' perceptions and experiences of agency nursing work. • Individual, in-depth interviews were conducted with three agency nurse providers and eight hospital nursing managers. Because of the lack of previous research in this area, an exploratory, semi-structured interviewing technique was deemed appropriate. • Three major themes emerged from interview data: planning for ward allocation, communication and professionalism. • In planning for ward allocation, ho..