At Loma Linda University School of Nursing we strive to offer programs that will continue raising the standard across healthcare institutions everywhere. We’ve spent the last few years preparing to offer students a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree specializing in Nurse Leadership.

Nurse Leadership

The Nursing Leadership program prepares students for important roles ensuring quality performance in high-level patient care, as well as support nurses’ practice, student education, and a culture of research. The nurse leader sets the vision for nursing practice in the delivery of safe, timely, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care. Working within a collaborative and inter-professional environment, the nurse in executive practice is influential in improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving the health of populations and reducing the per capita cost of health care.

The curriculum draws from the practice of nursing, management and related fields, and includes administrative, research and clinical components. The program provides for learning in an environment that fosters autonomy, flexibility and creative scholarship.

An intensive practicum provides the opportunity to develop and test skills in real-life settings with an emphasis on critical thinking.

PROGRAM LENGTH

3 years and 9 months full-time, 5 years part-time

Admission Deadlines

The School of Nursing accepts Nurse Leadership students in the Fall and Winter Quarters. All admission requirements must be completed by the deadline.  Deadlines are as follows:

  • Fall – February 1 (quarter begins in September)  
  • Winter – October 1 (quarter begins in January)

Admissions Requirements

The criteria for admission to the DNP program must be met before consideration for the Nurse Leadership concentration. Once the DNP criteria for admission have been met, admission criteria for this concentration must be met and are listed below.

Doctor of Nursing Practice degree general admission criteria

The following criteria are required for admission to the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program in nursing:

  • A baccalaureate degree in nursing from an accredited program (or its equivalent).
  • A 3.00 undergraduate G.P.A. (on a 4.00 scale), both cumulative and in the nursing major.
  • Three Recommendation letters: Nurse Supervisor, RN Co-worker, Spiritual Advisor
  • A standardized interview with two graduate nursing faculty members.
  • Current California registered nurse license before enrollment in clinical nursing courses.
  • Nursing experience in the area of the desired major prior to beginning graduate study.
  • Prerequisites: undergraduate statistics and research.

In addition to the requirements for admission to the DNP program, the requirements for admission into the Nurse Leadership Concentration include:

Minimum 6 months nursing experience in a leadership role is preferred Each applicant’s clinical experience will be individually evaluated Interview by faculty members in the School of Nursing

 

Additional Admission Requirements for Post-Masters Degree to DNP

  • Completion of a master’s degree in nursing with a clinical major from a program accredited by CCNE or the National League for Nursing
  • Undergraduate and Graduate GPA of 3.0, both cumulative and in nursing courses
  • Current California RN license

Admission Requirements for International Students 

International applicants (non-U.S. citizens and non-U.S. permanent residents) must meet all admission requirements for the chosen program. In addition, official international transcripts must be evaluated by an accredited evaluation service. A TOEFL score may also be required. Please visit www.llu.edu/apply/intltrans for more information.

Transcript Requirements

You must submit transcripts from all post-secondary institutions that you have attended, regardless of whether or not it applies to your prerequisite coursework. This includes all colleges, universities, military credit, Advanced Placement, CLEP, and unaccredited schools. Transcripts must be sent by the issuing institution(s) directly to LLU Admissions Processing. Transcripts provided in any other manner are unofficial and will not be accepted for admission.

Please have official transcripts sent to:

Admissions Processing
Loma Linda University
11139 Anderson St
Loma Linda, CA 92350 USA

Accreditations

Loma Linda University is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The BS, MS, and DNP Programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Nurse Anesthesia Concentration is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

Advanced practice nurse graduates, Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), are certified by the State of California Board of Registered Nursing and eligible to apply for certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Corporation, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, as appropriate for the area of professional practice.The California State Board has approved all programs offered at the Loma Linda University School of Nursing. Many states may offer a compact license to individuals already licensed in California. If this opportunity is of interest to you, please contact your program director. Students who decide to pursue a license in another state should check with the applicable licensing authority in that state.

Our programs address and meet outcome expectations as articulated by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Master’s (AACN), and DNP Essentials.

Curriculum Plan

BS to DNP Leadership - Curriculum Plan

 

Important Information

  1. The DNP Program has been approved as a hybrid program with much of the academic work completed in an asynchronous manner on line. Students are required to attend and actively participate in any scheduled Zoom and face-to-face meetings scheduled for the DNP Program courses.

  2. Most of the DNP Program Core courses and the prerequisite clinical courses require that students participate on-campus for 4 to 8 hours during Seminar Week in the middle of each quarter. Students are also required to be on campus to take all course exams including the midterm and final exams.

  3. NGRD 657 – Intermediate Statistics – has four mandatory synchronous class meetings during each quarter and students are required to participate in them either face-to-face or by Zoom.  Students must attend take the midterm exam and the final exam on campus during scheduled face-to-face meetings. Additional optional group sessions held both face-to-face and by Zoom are available for students enrolled in NGRD 657.

  4. NGRD 624 – Advanced Health Assessment – has mandatory synchronous lab meetings every two weeks during the quarter.  Students must attend each of these sessions. The faculty coordinate the course exams including the midterm and final exams so that they are scheduled when the student is on campus for a scheduled lab session.

  5. The CNS and NP clinical courses meet at least four (4) times per quarter face-to-face on campus and all exams are administered on campus.  The NP Program skills courses meet weekly during the quarter that the skills course is scheduled.  Attendance at each of the assigned labs is mandatory for students enrolled in the skills course.

 

Students in the CNS and NP clinical courses will be assigned clinical rotations in the Inland Empire (IE) region of Southern California (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties).  The CNS and NP Program faculty members arrange all clinical rotations for students as required by the California Board of Registered Nursing Regulations (Sections 1484, h (11) of Division 14 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations).

Cost of Attendance

View Expected Cost of Attendance Here

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