Barnes Hospital opened its doors in late 1914, twenty-two years after Robert Barnes, the visionary whom it is named after, passed away. He wished to build a hospital that would provide quality care for all. Later, in 1955, the hospital began its three-year nursing program. In 1989, the Barnes Hospital School of Nursing switched to a four-year bachelor’s degree and was re-named the Barnes College of Nursing.

The Jewish Hospital opened in 1902 with a pledge to assist people of all creeds and nationalities. It was there that the wave of new immigrants came to receive healthcare in St. Louis. The Training School for Nurses also opened in 1902, with its first class graduating in 1905. In 1993, the three-year diploma program was replaced with a degree program, and the school re-named the Jewish Hospital College of Nursing and Allied Health.

Barnes Hospital and Jewish Hospital merged in 1996. In 2007, the name was changed to the Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.