In the United States, a Nurse Registry is a staffing agency which may provide nursing personnel to hospitals, medical offices and individuals. They are generally small, privately owned businesses. They are also known as "nursing pools" and "nursing staffing agencies". Staffing is the practice of finding, evaluating, and establishing a working relationship with future colleagues on a project and firing them when they are no longer needed. ... Nursing is a discipline focused on assisting individuals, families and communities in attaining, re-attaining and maintaining optimal health and functioning. ...

As with other staffing agencies, a large amount of capital is necessary to operate, since nurses must be payed by the registry as often as they work, but the hospital or other institution utilizing the services of the registry might not pay the registry until several months after the work has been done. Profit margins for this type of business go between 30% and 70%.

Nurse staffing is a seasonal business. During holidays, hospitals often pay their staff overtime pay, and thus the need for external staffing services is diminished. An opposite effect is felt during summer time vacations, when staff employees at hospitals take time off and the services of the nurse registry are in greater need.

Nurse staffing is very demanding and requires a high degree of care and responsibility. There are many liability issues which must be kept in mind. Claims of negligence and inappropriate actions by the registry's nurses may result in lawsuits over bodily injury. Malpractice insurance must be carried by the registry. In law, malpractice is type of tort in which the misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance of a professional under a duty to act fails to follow generally accepted professional standards. ...