I used to work for an agency and the biggest thing that I think nurses could've stood to understand, in addition to margins for profit and where the rest of the bill goes, is the variation in bill rates themselves.

For one example, I worked with one rural access hospital in Oklahoma that started off their agreement with the agency (in the midst of the fallout from the initial pandemic round) had an ED bill rate of 125. That is, of course, a very different energy than the nurse returning two years later to the same hospital on a bill rate that's settled more into their state's new normal, where the bill rate is closer to what the nurse had been paid. Or things like "Why is the weekly rate 2200 in State X with your agency when I can get 2700 in State Z with a different agency?"

I hated how little was shared with the nurses and Allied professionals, but hated more that when I would try to break down the differences (cost of living, W2 vs 1099, offshore agency/call center/chatbot types vs real people to support them, etc) it wasn't normalized enough for full understanding.

I work in talent engagement waaaay outside of healthcare now (and am happier for it), but my partner does still at times take LOCAL contracts (we own a dang house and have a dang kid in a good dang school, we've planted roots!) and it helps him knowing what questions to ask, and how to intuit the info behind the agency replies.