Context

The Professional Competencies Appendix for Nurses (Bijlage Beroepscompetenties Verpleegkundigen) is a mandatory part of the Dutch recognition application for nurses.

It is used in both the Certificate of Competence (Verklaring van vakbekwaamheid) procedure and the Recognition of Professional Qualifications procedure. The completed appendix is uploaded with the mandatory documents in the online application. BIG-register instructs applicants to complete it in Dutch, preferably digitally, and as clearly and completely as possible. 

→ Official BIG-register Professional Competencies Appendix for Nurses
View and download the official form

1. What the Appendix Is Used For

Dutch nursing education is strongly competency-based.

The appendix allows the candidate to explain:

• which nursing competencies were developed during education;

• which competencies were further developed through professional experience;

• the patient groups with whom those competencies were used;

• how those competencies were applied in practice;

• any nursing specialisation completed during or after training.

The current form contains 17 questions across four competency areas. 

It is not a certificate and does not need to be certified by a university, Nursing Council or notary.

The candidate completes the form.

2. Before Completing the Form

The appendix should be completed only after reviewing the candidate's actual:

• nursing curriculum;

• clinical training;

• transcript;

• work experience;

• current and previous nursing roles;

• additional training and specialisation.

Answers should reflect the candidate's real education and professional experience.

Do not select competencies simply because they appear relevant to nursing. The candidate should be able to explain where and how the competency was learned or practised.

Where Hexallt supports preparation of the appendix, the purpose is to help the candidate organise and describe their own experience accurately, not to create competencies that are not supported by their background.

3. Section 1 — Working With and for Clients / Patients

Questions 1–5 cover direct nursing care. 

The form asks whether the candidate developed competencies such as:

• planning nursing care;

• supporting patients psychosomatically and socially;

• providing personal basic care;

• carrying out nursing procedures;

• supporting patients in daily life;

• providing information, advice and instruction to patients and caregivers.

The candidate also identifies the patient groups with whom these competencies can be applied.

Examples listed in the form include:

• hospitalised medical or surgical patients;

• pregnant women, mothers and newborns;

• psychiatric patients;

• patients with reduced self-care capacity;

• children and young people;

• geriatric patients;

• people with chronic physical illness;

• people with physical disabilities;

• people with intellectual disabilities.

How to answer the written questions

For the narrative questions, explain how the selected competencies were actually developed.

A useful structure is:

Setting → responsibility → nursing activity → how it was carried out → relevant guideline/method → patient group

For example, instead of writing:

“I learned patient care during clinical posting.”

describe:

• the clinical department;

• the type of patients;

• the nursing responsibilities performed;

• how care was planned or documented;

• how patients were monitored or supported;

• how protocols or evidence-based principles were used.

The form itself asks candidates to consider tasks, situations, interaction with patients, methodological working, guidelines and evidence-based thinking. 

4. Section 2 — Working Within a Healthcare Organisation

Questions 6–10 focus on how the nurse functions within an organisation.

Competencies include the ability to:

• work with colleagues and other disciplines;

• collaborate with caregivers and volunteers;

• organise one's own work;

• use resources efficiently and responsibly;

• coordinate the nursing process.

The form again separates:

competencies developed during education

from

competencies further developed through professional experience.

What to explain

Where written explanation is requested, describe practical examples such as:

• coordinating care with doctors and other healthcare professionals;

• handing over patient information;

• organising duties during a shift;

• prioritising patient needs;

• coordinating nursing activities;

• participating in multidisciplinary care;

• managing available resources responsibly.

Keep the explanation specific to what the candidate has actually done.

5. Section 3 — Quality of Care and Professional Development

Questions 11–15 deal with quality improvement and professional development.

The listed competencies include:

• identifying problems and developing solutions or improved ways of working;

• reflecting on one's own professional behaviour;

• contributing to the development of the profession;

• developing one's own professional expertise;

• supporting the professional development of colleagues.

Relevant examples may include

• participating in quality or safety initiatives;

• infection-control improvement;

• incident review;

• clinical audits;

• updating practice after new guidance;

• attending professional training;

• reflecting on clinical decisions;

• mentoring or supporting junior nurses;

• sharing clinical knowledge with colleagues.

Only include examples that genuinely form part of the candidate's education or professional history.

The form asks candidates to explain what they did, in which situations, and how they did it.

6. Section 4 — Nursing Specialisation

Questions 16–17 address nursing specialisation. 

The form asks which area of Dutch nursing education most closely corresponds with the candidate's specialisation:

• clinical care;

• maternity, child and youth care;

• chronic care;

• psychiatry and intellectual-disability care.

The candidate is then asked to describe the specialisation reflected in their professional experience.

How to approach this section

Choose the area that most closely reflects the candidate's actual education and experience.

Then briefly describe:

• specialty/clinical area;

• type of patients;

• length or nature of experience;

• main nursing responsibilities;

• any relevant additional training.

If the candidate has experience across several areas, the explanation can clarify this rather than forcing the entire professional history into one category.

7. Education and Work Experience Must Be Kept Separate

Throughout the appendix, BIG-register deliberately asks two different questions:

What did you develop during your nursing education?

and

What did you develop later through professional practice?

These should not be mixed.

For example:

A competency learned during BSc Nursing clinical training should be described under education.

A competency developed later while working as a Staff Nurse should be described under professional experience.

This distinction helps the authority understand what was part of the original qualification and what was developed later through work experience.

8. If More Space Is Required

The official form allows the candidate to attach additional text where the available space is insufficient.

When doing this:

• clearly state the question number;

• continue only the answer to that question;

• keep the additional page organised and easy to connect with the original form.

BIG-register specifically instructs applicants to identify the relevant question number when attaching additional text. 

9. Supporting Documents

The appendix is assessed as part of the wider Registered Nurse recognition dossier.

The information provided should therefore be consistent with documents such as:

• curriculum;

• transcript;

• clinical-training records;

• work-experience certificates;

• job descriptions;

• CV;

• specialist or additional-training certificates.

BIG-register states that professional experience and additional education can support the CBGV's assessment of the candidate's overall knowledge and skills. (BIG Register)

Candidates should not overstate responsibilities or select competencies that cannot reasonably be connected to their education or experience.

10. Language of the Appendix

The appendix must be completed in Dutch. BIG-register specifically instructs applicants to complete it in Dutch and preferably digitally. 

This does not mean the candidate should simply translate Indian nursing terminology word for word.

The wording should remain:

• accurate;

• clear;

• professionally appropriate;

• consistent with the candidate's actual nursing responsibilities.

Hexallt may support candidates in structuring and reviewing the Dutch wording while preserving the candidate's own education and experience.

11. How Hexallt Supports Completion

• reviewing the official form;

• identifying which information must come from education and which from work experience;

• comparing responses with the candidate's curriculum, CV and professional records;

• helping organise written responses clearly;

• reviewing Dutch-language wording;

• checking that additional pages are referenced correctly;

• carrying out a final completeness review before the appendix is uploaded.

The candidate remains responsible for confirming that all information submitted is accurate.

12. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid:

• ticking every competency without considering whether it actually applies;

• confusing education with later professional experience;

• writing only general statements such as “I provided nursing care”;

• copying job-description language without explaining actual responsibilities;

• claiming experience with patient groups the candidate has not worked with;

• giving answers that conflict with the curriculum, CV or employment records;

• leaving relevant narrative questions unexplained;

• completing the form in English instead of Dutch;

• adding extra pages without identifying the relevant question number.

The objective is not to make the candidate's experience appear broader than it is.

The objective is to present the candidate's actual nursing competencies clearly enough for them to be assessed correctly.

13. Final Completion Check

Before uploading the appendix, confirm that:

• the current official form has been used;

• all applicable questions have been answered;

• the form is completed in Dutch;

• education and professional experience are clearly distinguished;

• selected competencies match the candidate's actual background;

• patient groups are selected accurately;

• narrative explanations contain practical detail where requested;

• specialisation is described correctly;

• additional pages identify the relevant question numbers;

• responses are consistent with the supporting documents;

• the completed form has been reviewed for clarity and completeness.

The finished appendix is then uploaded with the mandatory supporting documents in the Registered Nurse recognition application.

14. Official Professional Competencies Appendix for Nurses

The document shown below is the official BIG-register Professional Competencies Appendix for Nurses (Bijlage Beroepscompetenties Verpleegkundigen) referred to throughout this guide.

Related Guidance

→ Recognition and Licensing Process for Nurses in the Netherlands

→ Documents Required for VIG Recognition Application

Clarifications

The Professional Competencies Appendix does not itself determine whether the nursing qualification will be recognised.

It forms part of the evidence considered during the Registered Nurse recognition procedure.

Recognition decisions remain with CIBG and the competent Dutch authorities.

Additional documents, clarification, education or practical requirements may be requested depending on the candidate's individual assessment.