Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing holds summer graduation

Steve Lipstein, BJC HealthCare president and chief executive officer, delivers keynote address to the graduates of the Summer term. It may have been overcast outside, but there was nothing but sunshine, laughter and smiles inside Powell Hall in midtown St. Louis as the graduates of the Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing, as well as their families and friends, celebrated nursing school graduation on Saturday, Aug. 20. Also attending were the graduating classes of 1991 and 1966 who were on hand to celebrate their 25th and 50th class reunions, respectively.
 
At 9:30 a.m., music filled the room as the audience stood to greet the soon-to-be graduates. More than 150 students received their diplomas from Goldfarb School of Nursing during the school’s summer commencement ceremony.
 
Steve Lipstein, BJC HealthCare president and chief executive officer, was the keynote speaker at the event and addressed graduates with words of wisdom for their future as nurses. He asked them what kind of nurses they planned to be and asked them to use their imagination to think about what kind of impact they would have on their patients. He then asked them to think deeply about what kind of human being they want to be, what kind of impact they want to have as a nurse, on their patients, on their families and in their community.
 
Lipstein reflected back to when he was in college and served as a unit secretary at a hospital where he watched nurses work so hard, and defining for him how impactful the profession of nursing can be on the lives of other people. “What I saw had a big impact on me and created an indelible impression that is still with me today,” noted Lipstein. “I saw first-hand how a nurse’s hard work and dedication to their career translated into the care they provided and the impact it had on outcomes for patients and their families.”
 
He challenged the graduates, RNs getting their advanced degrees and undergraduates who will soon be RNs, to serve as examples because they will be in a position to inspire people each day. Lipstein went on to say that as nursing students you learn about the human anatomy and the science behind nursing, but great nurses are those that bring humanity to work every day. 
 
The ceremony came to a close, the graduates beamed with pride knowing they are well prepared to make a difference and have the opportunity to enjoy and grow their careers while never losing sight of Goldfarb School of Nursing’s slogan: Skill, tenderly applied, works wonders. Many of the graduates have already secured positions spanning a variety of healthcare settings.