Agency Nursing - WDYT?

[waterlily252]

DH and I are moving to Chicago in August (yay!) and will be living in the Lakeview area. We are expecting our IL license soon but haven't really seen any job openings in the Chicago area. We were thinking that we could both sign up with agencies for a few month to get a feel for different hospitals & hopefully work our way into a job that way.

Would this work?

Are there any nurses on here that do agency work in the Chicagoland area? Has the economy hurt agency nursing any? DH does ER/ICU and I do NICU. Do you think we will be able to get at least 2 shifts a week if we sign up with 1-2 agencies?

I am terrified of quitting my job, moving across the country & not having a job! Due to family reasons though we have to move in August!

[vivacious1healer]

Try checking out Healthcare Personnel Agency in Chicago. I worked for them for 2 years, before i settled down at a permanent job. It certainly was the way to go when I didn't know which hospitals were the good ones, and which ones i would never again take an assignment.

The pay ranges from $30-45/hour depending on experience, and you MUST have at least one year's experience. If you have ICU experience, you will definitely get work and good $$$$!

Best of luck!