Checklist: hiring a freelance nurse

In short

Good hiring starts with a short checklist: registration, experience in your care setting, a clearly defined assignment and clear agreements on handover. If you arrange those points in advance, you need less explanation from the very first shift.

A sudden gap in the roster calls for speed. Even so, it pays to go through a few fixed points before you deploy a self-employed nurse. This checklist is intended for team leaders and care managers in VVT organisations (nursing, care and home care). Use it as a reminder, alongside the procedures of your own organisation.

Before the introductory meeting

Check the registration in the public BIG register (the Dutch register of healthcare professionals).
Ask about experience in your type of care, for example psychogeriatric care (PG), somatic care or home care.
Decide which shifts or which period you want to fill.
Write down what you want to have achieved after the deployment.

How to check the registration is explained on checking BIG registration when hiring.

During the conversation

Discuss the situation on the ward as honestly as possible: the make-up of the client group, the staffing and the problems the team runs into. Ask how the nurse handles handover and reporting, and how she settles in. In such a conversation I am happy to explain how I work: quickly deployable, minimal induction time and clear communication. What I pay attention to can also be read in the introductory meeting: what do you discuss?

Agreements on paper

Record the assignment in a contract for services (overeenkomst van opdracht), with content, duration, objective and rate. Also agree who is the point of contact for coordination on content. More on the form and the rules can be found on contract for services in healthcare. For the tax side, the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst) or your own adviser remains the right place to go.

On the first day

Make sure login details for the electronic record are ready, that the nurse knows where to find protocols and that there is a short handover about the clients. The better the start, the sooner care is in trusted hands. If you would like to talk through your situation, schedule an introductory meeting. Having a cup of coffee is a fine start.

I help with this through nursing cover and consistent working agreements. Want to know what that means for your organisation? Schedule an introduction.

Tip from Janneke

Keep this checklist with your roster planning. Then it is ready the moment you need someone quickly.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can a freelance nurse start?

That depends on availability and the agreements. I can be deployed quickly and need minimal induction time, but we always agree the start together.

Should I arrange a fixed point of contact?

That is sensible. A fixed contact person for coordination on content makes the collaboration clear for the whole team.

What if the content of the assignment changes?

Then we make new agreements. Content, duration and goal are set out in the contract, so we discuss any change explicitly.

Prefer to talk in person?

I am happy to drop by for a coffee to discuss your question.

Schedule an introduction Contact