'You're more your own boss': nurses' experiences of agency work

Agency nurses and their work has received little attention in research in Australia. The study seeks to expand on the current literature from the United Kingdom and the United States that is predominantly personal accounts of individual nurses' experiences of agency work. The descriptive study explores four registered nurses' experiences of working through a nursing agency. Findings identified that agency work met the needs of the four women at that particular time in their lives. The concept of control over work scheduling, as described in much of the literature, was experienced by all four women. However, they indicated a lack of professional autonomy and isolation in their practice. Issues such as accessing continuing education and maintaining skills were identified as problems associated with agency work.