The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (Psych NP) program at the LLU School of Nursing prepares registered nurses for a rewarding career of touching patient’s lives by supporting their journey to improved mental well-being.

The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner program promotes whole person care, by focusing on the mental, physical, and spiritual health of patients. Students are prepared to promote optimal mental health, prevention, and treatment of psychiatric disorders and health maintenance within a variety of settings across the life span.

The curriculum for the Psych NP program builds on the basics of nursing with an emphasis on psychiatry, to train registered nurses to act as a therapist, helping patients with depression, anxiety and suicidal individuals, and other conditions that can be remedied with counseling.

The Psych NP works in consultation and collaboration with psychiatrists and other mental health care providers to assess the mental health needs of individuals, families, groups and communities. With a dual emphasis  on intervention through of psychotherapy and psychopharmocology, the Psychiatric Nurse practitioner program prepares registered nurses for advanced specialty practice.

Admissions Deadlines

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

  • Fall – May 25 (quarter begins in September)  
  • Winter – November 3 (quarter begins in January)

Admissions Requirements

  • Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited program
  • GPA of 3.0, both cumulative and in nursing courses
  • Current United States RN license before application*
  • Application with personal statement
  • Three electronic recommendations** (recommenders will receive an email once application is submitted) – required: Nurse Supervisor, RN Co-worker, and Spiritual
  • Official transcripts for all college credits
  • Interview by faculty members in the School of Nursing

*California RN license required before start of classes

** New baccalaureate graduates without an RN license must submit the following three recommendations from: Academic Faculty, Clinical Instructor, and a Spiritual Advisor.

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 & Sample Schedule

Curriculum Plan for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Concentration

Sample Schedule for Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Concentration

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).

Financial Information

Academic Year 2023-2024

YEAR OF PROGRAM: YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4
Tuition $21,960 $24,705 $30,195 $30,195
Fees $2,925 $2,925 $2,925 $2,925
Books & Supplies $1,145 $1,640 $1,670 $110
Instruments — — — —
Misc (e.g., Boards, Licensing exam, Uniforms) $3,435 $3,185 $3,185 $1,365
Total $29,465 $32,455 $37,975 $34,595
Notes

Tuition/Fees is an estimation based on 3 quarters with an average of 10 units (2 classes) per quarter. Living Expenses is calculated for financial aid purposes and is based on 3 quarters (9 months). Actual amounts may vary.

70-75% of LLU Nursing students receive financial aid.

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