I'm a student nurse and on the bank at my local hospital. It's good because it's really flexible... you ring them up when you know you're going to be free... weeks in advance if you want. They'll see if they have anything on those dates for you and book you straight away, if not they'll ring you if something comes up. And if you become available to work at short notice, you can give them a ring and see if they have anything for you because sometimes they can't find cover til the last minute if people are off sick at short notice etc. It'll depend on the hospital you want to work for how many shifts you'll get... I've heard some trusts are cutting back on the number of bank workers they use due to budget cuts. But give the hospital a ring and see.