Deciding which agency...

Great experiences with agencies are personal, specific to the individual and the recruiter. So I would recommend not going with referrals as much as your actual communication experience with each recruiter. I'm going to guess that is how you have narrowed your current list of agencies. Listen carefully and ask your questions of each one. Honesty about what they can and will provide should come through - including such stuff as day shift and pay. Delete the ones you don't trust, you probably have reason not to trust them and it likely involves your communication style and theirs.

Follow through is another issue, if they deliver what they promise. That is a tough one, and it is difficult to trust anecdotes and stories you hear online. And until you really need the support, you won't know how the recruiter or agency will react to a crisis.

In general, you will hear the worst about the largest agencies. Why? Because more nurses have worked for them than smaller agencies, and human nature means you will read a lot more negative stories than positive stories online.

Thanks so much! I will take advice with a grain of salt! I definitely know people tend to complain more than compliment, but I have learned to listen, take it into account and make my own decision based on my intuition. Thanks for the reminder, appreciate it. :)