Open House - Goldfarb School of Nursing at Missouri Baptist Medical Center

MISSOURI BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER AND GOLDFARB SCHOOL OF NURSING PARTNER TO OPEN NURSING SCHOOL IN WEST ST. LOUIS COUNTY

Ribbon Cutting: Thurs., Jan. 12 at 10 a.m.

Open House for public follows: 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Parking: Main Parking/Level 4 Goldfarb School of Nursing

Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College have partnered to open a state-of-the-art nursing school in west St. Louis County that will graduate more than 100 nurses into the workforce annually. An increased demand for nurses with bachelor’s degrees in nursing is predicted as the U.S. population ages.

“On the campus of Missouri Baptist, tomorrow’s nurses will learn from Goldfarb School of Nursing faculty, study side-by-side with a diverse and talented group of classmates, and cultivate the knowledge and professional skills to meet the ever-increasing demands of clinical care,” said Steve Lipstein, president and chief executive officer of BJC HealthCare. Both Missouri Baptist and Goldfarb School of Nursing are affiliated with BJC HealthCare, which invests $125 million annually in support of education of health professionals and advancements in medical research to help ensure the future of health care.

The new $12.6 million, 42,750 square-foot education, research and training facility is located on Missouri Baptist’s campus. It will house Goldfarb School of Nursing’s classrooms and advanced simulation labs, which will be used to train students to handle health care situations from complex births to post-surgery and critical care.

 Students enrolled at this site will receive a bachelor of science in nursing degree (BSN). The program includes rigorous academic course work and student support services from Goldfarb School of Nursing faculty and staff, and the opportunity to learn from the expertise of Missouri Baptist nurses at the bedside during clinical training.

GROWING EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING PRACTICE AT MISSOURI BAPTIST - In addition to offering a BSN, Goldfarb School of Nursing has two research faculty members dedicated to helping Missouri Baptist nurses conduct research and apply evidence-based practice on its campus. This will promote the use of new knowledge and innovation as a foundation for students conducting their clinical training at Missouri Baptist.

“Our vision is to become known as one of the region's premier teaching and research hospitals for nurses,” said Tim Mislan, BSN, NEA-BC, vice president and chief nurse executive at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. “This partnership will offer nursing students the opportunity to learn evidence-based clinical practices at the bedside in an environment dedicated to achieving both the highest levels of clinical quality and patient satisfaction.”

“We are excited to partner with the visionary leaders at Missouri Baptist as we replicate our quality nursing education program to increase the number of nursing graduates, thus addressing the current and future nursing shortage,” said Connie Koch, EdD, RN, interim dean at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College.

THE BUILDING - Funding for the building was provided by BJC HealthCare along with generous donors to the Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation.

The architect was Forum Design, with the exterior design by HOK, planning and interior design by Ayers Saint Gross, engineering by KJWW Engineering and construction provided by Clayco, Inc.

About Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College: Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College offers a progressive range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs that address the changing needs of the nursing profession. It is affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which is consistently ranked in the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll and is the adult teaching hospital of Washington University School of Medicine; as well as with Missouri Baptist Medical Center, a top Missouri hospital. Its programs are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and is approved by the Missouri State Board of Nursing.

About Missouri Baptist Medical Center: Missouri Baptist is a 489-bed acute-care hospital located at Highway 40 and I-270 in west St. Louis County. Recognized as a “Top 100 U.S. Hospital” by Thomson Reuters, “5-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attacks” for the eighth consecutive year by HealthGrades and “One of America’s Safest Hospitals” by Forbes, Missouri Baptist offers a full continuum of medical and surgical services, and specializes in heart, cancer, gastrointestinal, orthopedic, neurological/spine and women’s health services. Missouri Baptist provided care for 23,066 inpatients and 38,791 emergency patients in 2010.

About BJC HealthCare: Both Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College are members of BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States and the largest employer in St. Louis. Based in St. Louis, BJC Healthcare serves residents in Missouri and southern Illinois through its 13 hospitals and multiple health service organizations.