Loyola University Chicago’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing is a recognized leader in nursing education, offering several degree options. Our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program allows you to earn a BSN in as few as 16 months. Here are the ways a Loyola Nursing degree can help you advance your career.
1. Transformative Education
Loyola Nursing students receive a transformative education within the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Our faculty combine faith and reason with intellectual rigor to graduate competent, compassionate nursing leaders with a commitment to social justice and belief in the common good. We prepare students to enhance the health of individuals, local and global communities, through the discovery, application, and dissemination of knowledge.
2. Inter-professional Collaboration
Because health care is an interdisciplinary field, we train our students to work in and navigate these teams to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. Our curriculum emphasizes the importance of inter-professional collaboration and has been nationally recognized for doing so by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education.
3. Innovative Research
Loyola Nursing is committed to helping students and faculty pursue innovative research to advance nursing knowledge, guide improvements in patient care, and improve health outcomes. In particular, our research initiatives examine social context, stress, and epigenetic determinants of health; health disparities and vulnerable populations; prevention and self-management of chronic diseases; and optimizing outcomes in education and practice.
4. Jesuit Values
Loyola nurses are prepared to shape the future of health care with a degree that embodies Jesuit values such as commitment to excellence, faith, service the promotes justice, and global awareness.
Commitment to Excellence
Loyola Nursing faculty and staff promote dialogue, critical thinking, and the discernment of meaning to enhance the health of individuals and communities. We provide an academic environment to support and guide students as they develop the skills to become nursing leaders.
Faith in God and Religious Tradition
Loyola Nursing acknowledges that people are physical, psychosocial, and spiritual beings. We help students understand how spirituality can impact patient health. Our curriculum promotes the importance of respecting every individual, regardless of their faith tradition.
Service that Promotes Justice
Loyola Nurses have a strong commitment to social justice and prioritizing the needs of men, women, and children who are the most vulnerable. Loyola Nurses strive to be persons for others in the Jesuit tradition.
Global Awareness
Our School of Nursing embraces cultures as a means to serve and to lead change toward better health, recognizing that communities have unique strengths. Students are encouraged to apply the lessons they’ve learned locally in global initiatives and vice versa.
ABSN Program Overview
Now that you know how a Loyola nursing degree can help advance your career, it’s time to apply!
Our 16-month ABSN program gives you the option to complete your didactic theory courses online or in the classroom. Both options provide the same accelerated nursing curriculum.
If you choose the online option, you will enroll in our Hybrid ABSN program located in Downers Grove, Illinois. Students who select the in classroom option will enroll for the On-Ground ABSN program, located on our Health Science Campus in Maywood, Illinois.
Fortunately, both options offer hands-on nursing labs and you will participate in clinical rotations at a variety of Chicago area healthcare facilities – from hospitals to school-based health centers.
As a Loyola ABSN graduate, you will be prepared to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®) with confidence and enter the profession as a practice-ready nurse. In 2019, our BSN graduates had a first-time NCLEX pass rate of 95%.
ABSN Admission Process
To begin the ABSN program admission process, you must have a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution, along with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Additionally, you must satisfy a series of science and non-science prerequisites, which involves meeting the minimum grade requirement for each course and maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Get Started!
Our ABSN program offers two start dates: one in January and one in August. Contact an enrollment advisor who will provide you with personalized support through every step of the enrollment process.