How do I find a nursing or healthcare staffing agency for sale?

Agencies that supply nurses and care workers rarely advertise loudly. Some sales are quiet, since nurses and facility managers may hear about a sale before the deal is settled. That means a search works best on several fronts at once. It also means the first job is sorting what you find, because the word “nursing” covers businesses with very different economics.

Where these agencies come up

Start with business-for-sale listings under staffing, healthcare and home care, and try the wording owners use: nursing agency, nurse staffing, healthcare staffing. Ask business brokers who handle staffing sales whether they hold anything not yet public. Then tell your accountant, lawyer and any staffing association contacts what you want.

Telling the models apart

A shift-fill agency sends nurses or aides to hospitals, care homes and clinics, and bills the facility for each shift. Home care places caregivers with clients in their homes, which is a different kind of relationship. Permanent recruitment earns a fee when a hire starts. A care home runs a residence and employs its own staff to care for residents. Ask which of these the listing really describes, and whether the business mixes them.

First questions for the owner

• Which facilities does the agency serve, and how long has each been a client?
• How many nurses worked a shift recently, as opposed to being on the list?
• Who does the scheduling, and who do facility managers call?
• Why is the owner selling, and who else knows?

For the general staffing picture, see how to check bill and pay rates before buying.