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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.26

                                                                Nowakowski Grant



                                    Amendment
                                       to
                  Super-Performance Stock Option Plan Agreement


AMENDMENT, agreed to as of this 24th day of July, 2001 between AMN Healthcare
Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and the person whose
name appears on the signature page hereto (the "Optionee").

WHEREAS, the Company has previously entered in a nonqualified stock option
agreement under the Company's Performance Stock Option Plan, dated November 20,
2000 (the "Agreement");

WHEREAS, the Company desires to amend the Agreement to change the accounting
treatment of the options granted under the Agreement;

WHEREAS, the Optionee desires to amend the Agreement to secure the benefits of
the Amendment;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and the Optionee agree as follows:

               The following amendments to the Agreement shall be effective as
of the close of the sale of no less than $100 million of the Company's Common
Stock in an underwritten public offering of such Common Stock that is
consummated on or before December 31, 2001 (the "IPO").


1.      Section 2 of the Agreement is amended to read in its entirety as
        follows:

               "Section 2.   Vesting and Exercisability


               (a)    Vesting.  Following the 2000 Fiscal Year of the Company,
                      there shall be no performance targets for the vesting of
                      the option and, subject to the provisions of Section 10,
                      the remaining unvested and unexercisable portion of the
                      option shall become fully vested solely upon
                      consummation of the IPO. Notwithstanding the vesting of
                      the option in accordance with this Section 2(a), the
                      option shall not become exercisable other than in
                      accordance with the provisions of Section 2(b) and 2(c)
                      hereof.

               (b)    Exercisability.  Upon the occurrence of the IPO, the
                      option shall become exercisable in accordance with the
                      following schedule:


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                      390.5 shares upon the expiration of the
                      underwriters' lock-up period following the IPO
                      (the "Lock-Up Period");

                      390.5 shares on December 31, 2001, or if later,
                      upon expiration of the Lock-Up Period;

                      390.5 shares on December 31, 2002;

                      390.5 shares on December 31, 2003;

               Each of the foregoing dates shall hereinafter be referred to as
an "Exercisability Date".

               (c)    Change of Control Acceleration. Notwithstanding any
                      provision to the contrary, the option shall become fully
                      vested and exercisable on the date on which HWH Capital
                      Partners, L.P. and its affiliates (collectively, "HWP")
                      have disposed of 75% or more of its ownership position.

               (d)    Expiration of Option. The option shall terminate and
                      cease to be exercisable on December 31, 2009.

2.       Section 4 of the Agreement is amended to read in its entirety
         as follows:


        "Section 4.   Termination of Employment

              (a)     Exercisability. If a grantee's employment with the
                      Company terminates for any reason, other than by reason
                      of the grantee's death or disability, the Exercisability
                      Dates under Section 2(b) shall be of no further force or
                      effect and the then-vested and non-exercisable portion
                      of the option shall instead become exercisable at a rate
                      of 25% for four years following the expiration of such
                      grantee's "Hiatus Lock-Up Period", beginning on the
                      first anniversary of the expiration of such period, and
                      ending on the fourth anniversary of such period;
                      provided, however, that the option shall become fully
                      exercisable by December 1, 2009. Upon termination of a
                      grantee's employment by reason of death or disability,
                      the provisions of this Section 4(a) shall be
                      inapplicable, and such grantee's option shall continue
                      to become exercisable in accordance with the provisions
                      of Section 2(b).

               For purposes of this Section 4(a), "Hiatus Lock-Up Period" shall
mean, in the case of an employee terminating employment more than one year after
the IPO, the two-year period immediately following his termination, and, in the
case of an employee


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terminating employment within one year after the IPO, the three-year period
immediately following his termination.

               (b)    Right of Discharge Reserved. Nothing in the Plan or
                      this Stock Option Agreement shall confer upon the
                      grantee or any other person the right to continue
                      in the employment of the Company or any of its
                      subsidiaries or affect any right which the Company
                      or any of its subsidiaries may have to terminate
                      the employment of the grantee or any other person."

                                        AMN HEALTHCARE SERVICES, INC.

                                       /s/ Steven C. Francis
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       By:  Steven C. Francis, President & CEO



                                       SUSAN NOWAKOWSKI



                                       /s/ Susan Nowakowski
                                       -----------------------------------------
                                       By: