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Welcome to the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing

There is no better time to be a nurse than today, when our communities and our nation are most in need. Loyola nurses are called to make a difference as we face the intersection of dual pandemics: coronavirus and racial inequalities. Our students, faculty, and alumni are on the front lines with patients fighting COVID-19, and they are creating a culture of health by addressing social determinants of health, working to dismantle structural racism, and tackling health inequities.

For more than 85 years, the School of Nursing has been a leader in nursing education. Today, as we build on that tradition, we have launched an Inclusive Excellence initiative to advance the critical role that diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism play in our ability to reach even higher aspirations. We cannot be excellent without being truly inclusive. We will begin this initiative by critically examining student, faculty, and staff recruitment and retention practices, curricula and policies across all our programs, and our scholarship, so that we can determine concrete, measurable steps to improve and integrate inclusive excellence in everything we do.

We are also on the forefront of advanced practice nursing education. As health care in this country has grown increasingly complex, advanced practice nursing education has evolved to meet those needs. Consistent with national recommendations, Loyola Nursing moved its nurse practitioner (NP) and clinical nurse specialist (CNS) education to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) level.

With these changes comes excitement and opportunity. At Loyola Nursing, we empower relationships to transform lives – the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni and the lives of the patients and communities we serve. Whether you are beginning your nursing journey or considering a graduate degree, I invite you to explore our BSN, MSN, DNP and PhD programs through this newly designed website. Reach out to faculty, program directors, or me to learn more about all that Loyola Nursing will offer you.

I encourage you to apply to a program. Our faculty, students, and alumni hope you will experience, first-hand, the benefits of becoming a Loyola Nurse.

With thanks,

Lorna Finnegan, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN
Dean and Professor
Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing
Loyola University Chicago