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Loyola University PMHNP Program

Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Maywood, IL

Through its Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago offers a DNP-PMHNP program track featuring the nation’s first Substance Use and Addictions specialty:

  • 74 credit hours
  • completed over 4-5 years
  • 15 practicum credit hours
The DNP-PMHNP program requires delivered in blended format combining online and in-person instruction including immersion weekends at Loyola's Health Sciences Campus.

Program Track Overview

Faculty design all clinical rotations and place students with preceptors through academic-practice partnerships throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, with focus on underserved communities. The program addresses critical mental health needs, with one in five U.S. adults experiencing mental illness within their lifetime.

Doctor of Nursing Practice – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

The estimated cost for the DNP-PMHNP program is approximately $88,060 in tuition only (74 credits at $1,190 per credit hour) plus semester fees, and takes 4-5 years to complete on part-time or full-time basis depending on student preference.

Curriculum

The 74-credit program integrates core DNP coursework, advanced practice nurse practitioner role courses, psychiatric mental health population-specific courses, DNP scholarly project, and practicum experiences.

Coursework includes:

GNUR 404 Theories & Concepts for Advanced Clinical Practice
The course explains how nursing knowledge develops and supports advanced practice. Students connect concepts, theory, research, and practice. Emphasis falls on middle-range theories used in clinical care.

GNUR 405 Introductory Statistics for Healthcare Professionals
The course builds basic statistics skills for health professionals. Students interpret research and quality reports and run simple analyses. Practice prepares students for data use in future projects.

GNUR 407 Social Justice and Ethics in Health Care
The course examines social justice, ethics, and advocacy in nursing. Students apply ethical frameworks to issues at global, national, and local levels. They propose practical recommendations for action.

GNUR 408 Research for Advanced Clinical Practice
The course shows how evidence supports clinical protocols and practice change. Students evaluate research and plan evidence-based improvements. Focus stays on translating science into better outcomes.

GNUR 420 Leadership and Roles in Advanced Nursing Practice
The course introduces leadership theories for advanced nursing roles. Students craft a personal leadership vision and apply change concepts. Work targets population health impact and professional growth.

GNUR 521 Population-Focused Health
The course teaches assessment of population health needs using epidemiologic tools. Students analyze data sources and design evidence-based interventions. Attention centers on reducing health disparities.

GNUR 523 Health Care Policy and Economics
The course covers policy, economics, and finance for healthcare leaders. Students use evidence to study how politics and money shape care. They evaluate effects on a selected population.

GNUR 545 Evidence Translation for Advanced Clinical Practice
The course advances skills in appraising, synthesizing, and applying research. Students develop protocols, lead interprofessional teams, and measure outcomes. The goal is consistent, evidence-based practice.

GNUR 413 Advanced Pharmacology
The course builds safe prescribing skills for advanced practice nurses. Students study pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, adverse effects, and legal requirements. Case work links drug therapy to patient needs across the lifespan.

GNUR 425 Advanced Health Assessment Across the LifeSpan
The course trains students to gather histories and perform comprehensive exams. Lecture and lab develop clinical decision-making and health promotion. Outputs include a complete patient database for planning.

GNUR 442 Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology
The course explains normal physiology and ties it to clinical examples. Students study molecular, cellular, and organ system function and homeostasis. Cases bridge science to common disorders.

GNUR 476 Basic Diagnostics for Advanced Practice
The course focuses on selecting and interpreting diagnostic tests. Students apply evidence to collect, analyze, and act on objective data. Learning supports decisions across the lifespan.

GNUR 529 Family-Focused Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
The course applies prevention strategies from birth through older adulthood. Students consider culture and social determinants in planning. Work targets individuals, families, and communities.

GNUR 436 Psychiatric Mental Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
The course builds psychiatric interviewing and evaluation skills. Students perform mental status exams, form differentials, and integrate labs and history. Content stresses inclusive, evidence-based assessment.

GNUR 451 Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan
The course develops judgment for prescribing psychotropics. Students link neurobiology to pharmacokinetics, dynamics, drug classes, and safety rules. Ethical and legal prescribing principles guide care.

GNUR 456 Psychotherapeutics Individuals Groups Families
The course reviews psychotherapy theories and application in PMHNP care. Students practice techniques that strengthen relationships and support recovery. Plans respect values, culture, and patient preferences.

GNUR 472 Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Across Lifespan I
The course surveys DSM-5 disorders such as psychosis, mood, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, and substance use. Students study etiology, criteria, and differentials with cultural context. Treatment links to psychopharm and psychotherapy courses.

GNUR 474 Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Across Lifespan II
The course extends DSM-5 study to autism, eating, sleep, neurocognitive, suicidality, and personality disorders. Students refine diagnostic reasoning and evidence-based treatment across the lifespan. Focus includes vulnerable groups and bio-social-cultural factors.

GNUR 570 DNP Scholarly Project: Planning
The course guides topic selection and project planning. Students complete a needs assessment and outline methods, teams, and management steps. Emphasis is on evidence use and feasible design.

GNUR 571 DNP Scholarly Project: Proposal and Pre-Implementation
Students write a full project proposal and begin site work. Seminar plus practicum hours support planning, feasibility, and relationship building. The aim is a ready-to-launch improvement project.

GNUR 572 DNP Scholarly Project: Project Implementation
Students implement the project with faculty guidance. Seminar sessions support management, data collection, and problem solving. Practicum hours advance measurable change in practice.

GNUR 573 DNP Scholarly Project: Analysis and Dissemination
Students analyze outcomes and complete the final report. They share results with stakeholders and prepare a manuscript or presentation. Work demonstrates impact on patients or practice.

GNUR 482 Psychiatric Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing Practicum
The practicum transitions students into the PMHNP role. Under supervision, they assess, diagnose, treat, and coordinate care across settings and ages. Progress moves from assisted practice to primary independence.

Optional Specialty

Substance Use and Addictions Specialty: Loyola is the first nursing school nationally to offer this specialty within the Psychiatric Mental Health DNP track.

The hybrid learning format deepens understanding of how substance use disorders and addiction impact psychiatric mental health and treatment options. It prepares graduates with critical knowledge and skills to identify and treat substance use disorders given widespread substance abuse repercussions throughout families, communities, healthcare systems, and society.

Clinicals

Practicum Overview

  • Complete 15 practicum credits to build advanced PMHNP competencies.
  • Faculty arrange all clinical placements and preceptors—no student placement work.
  • Sites span the Chicago metro area, with a strong focus on underserved communities, reflecting Loyola’s Jesuit mission.

What you will do

  • Conduct psychiatric evaluations and advanced health assessments/histories.
  • Build therapeutic rapport with clients and families using clinical interviewing.
  • Assess, diagnose, and treat behavioral and mental health conditions.
  • Create care plans; prescribe and manage medications and other therapies.
  • Provide person- and family-centered care in community and population contexts.
  • Lead and collaborate across disciplines.

Before your first practicum

  • Active RN license required.
  • At least 2,000 hours of recent psychiatric mental health nursing experience.

Prerequisites & Admissions

  • Bachelor of Science in Nursing from accredited program (must be Registered Nurse)
  • Minimum 3.0 GPA in undergraduate or graduate program
  • At least one year nursing experience recommended
  • Current U.S. nursing license with Illinois endorsement eligibility (including international students)
  • Dedication to advancing psychiatric nursing practice
  • Two professional letters of recommendation from individuals who know applicant well and can evaluate clinical/leadership abilities, critical thinking, and doctoral program success potential (e.g., current/former supervisor, manager, nursing professor); one recommendation from doctorally-prepared healthcare professional suggested (DNP, PhD, MD, DO, PharmD)
  • Personal statement (generally under 1,000 words) addressing: rationale for choosing program/role/population, fit with Loyola interests, preparation through work experience/professional interests, future career goals and leadership vision, how DNP will operationalize leadership role
  • Current curriculum vitae or resume
  • Interview with DNP Admissions Committee
  • Criminal background check required before clinical practicums (results may impact clinical placement ability)
  • Rolling admissions with Fall application deadline July 1, term starts late August
  • No application fee for online submission
  • International applicants: TOEFL (minimum 79 iBT or 550 written), IELTS (minimum 6.0), or PTE (minimum 53) required unless completing four-year U.S. bachelor’s or bachelor’s from recognized English-instruction institution in Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand; official transcript evaluation required for all non-U.S. postsecondary education from Educational Credential Evaluators, Educational Perspectives, or Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools showing U.S. bachelor’s in nursing equivalency

Tuition

Graduate nursing tuition is $1,190 per credit hour.

Students should expect to pay around $4,637 in fees, assuming a full-time (9+ credits) on-campus term.

See the official tuition page for more details.

Accreditation

Loyola University Chicago’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program maintains accreditation preparing graduates to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification examination in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Other Nursing Programs

Loyola University Chicago’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing offers comprehensive nursing education programs:

  • Doctor of Nursing Practice Tracks: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP with Oncology Specialty, Family NP, Family NP with Emergency Specialty, Women’s Health/Gender Related NP, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care CNS, Adult-Gerontology CNS, Adult-Gerontology CNS with Oncology Specialty, Systems Leadership
  • Master of Science in Nursing
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)
  • Undergraduate Programs: Four-Year Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing
  • Certificate Programs: Various post-graduate nursing certificates

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