Legislation and regulations

Healthcare professions in the BIG Act

The BIG Act divides professions that fall under this act into 3 groups according to their statutory article number: Article 3, 34 and Article 36a professions. Legally recognised specialisms fall under Article 14. Only Article 3 professions must be registered in the BIG register and fall under disciplinary law.

Protected professional title and training title

For all professions included in the BIG Act, there is a protected (professional) title. This means that someone may only call themselves a doctor, nurse, speech therapist or pharmacist's assistant, for example, if certain legal requirements are met. The BIG Act has two forms of title protection:

• Protected professional title
  The professional title may only be used by a person who has completed the correct training and is registered in the BIG register. So only with a valid BIG registration as a doctor may someone call themselves a doctor.
   
• Protected training title
  Only someone who has completed the appropriate training may use the title that belongs to the profession. For example, someone may only call themselves a pharmacist's assistant if they have followed and completed the correct training. 

Article 3 - Professions

• have a protected professional title.
• must register in the BIG register;
• may perform the reserved acts pertaining to the profession;
• are subject to disciplinary law.

Overview of Article 3 professions:

• Pharmacist
• Arts
• Physiotherapist
• Health care psychologist

• Clinical technologist

• General educational psychologist
• Physician assistant
• Psychotherapist
• Dentist
• Midwife
• Nurse

Article 36a - Professions (experimental professions)

• have a legally protected training title;
• can temporarily register in the BIG register;
• are subject to disciplinary law;
• may perform reserved acts;
• have temporary independent authority.

Overview of current Article 36a professions:

• Registered Dental Hygienist

Article 34 - Professions

Article 34-Professions:

• have a legally protected training title;
• cannot register in the BIG register;
• are not subject to disciplinary law.

Overview of Article 34 professions:

• Pharmacy Assistant
• Dietician
• Occupational therapist
• Skin therapist
• Clinical physicist
• Speech therapist
• Dental hygienist
• Exercise therapist
• Optometrist
• Orthoptist
• Podiatrist
• Radiodiagnostic laboratory technician
• Radiotherapeutic laboratory technician
• Dental Prosthetist
• Caregiver in individual health care (VIG'er).

See also the Other professions page.

Article 14-Specialisms

These are the legally recognized specialties, such as nurse specialist and clinical psychologist. See also Specialisation.