Nursing Innovation and Professionalisation (VIP)

The NFU developed the VIP Programme together with the umcs. Healthcare is changing rapidly and continuously. Treatments are becoming more complicated, and the technological possibilities keep increasing. Care is also shifting faster towards the patient’s home. And in this process nurses have a key role to play: their profession adjusts continuously along with it. At the same time, there is an enormous shortage of healthcare professionals. How can we ensure that the nursing profession remains attractive?

That is why the NFU is committed to professionalising the nursing profession together with the umcs. It wants everyone’s talents and qualities to be used, with additional career opportunities, team development and more pleasure at work for all nurses. This involves defining clear tasks for each nursing position. 

The umcs therefore started developing VIP in 2016, together with project leaders in all umcs. That resulted ultimately in the VIP Programme, which runs through 2022. The programme will ensure that enough care is still available to meet the constantly changing demand, with nurses who enjoy doing their work, feel comfortable in their team and in their umc. For example, in testing grounds in the umcs, experience is being obtained with the differentiated employment of nurses. The programme has now been enriched with the experiences gained in the umcs during the first COVID-19 wave.

Naturally, the umcs are responsible for quality of care, organisation design and enough qualified personnel for tomorrow’s care. VIP supports, stimulates, facilitates, coordinates and inspires the umcs in this process. It makes an overarching contribution to existing programmes, like RN2Blend & FD Tool, CZO Flex Level and the Hospital Training Programmes Fund (FZO).



The aim is to have a future-proof, differentiated employment of nurses in the umcs by the end of 2022.