Lucy Johnson: Wisdom from a newly retired alum

After 44 years, three months, and seven days of working at Children’s Minnesota Hospital in St. Paul, alumna Lucy Johnson is trying to adjust to retirement. She started working at Children’s after finishing her residency there during her master’s program, which she technically left with incomplete grades, despite also completing her coursework and research. Johnson returned to finish her master’s degree program in Social and Administrative Pharmacy (SAPh) at the College of Pharmacy nearly 36 years after she started it in 1981.  

“I've always loved working for children, who I feel are the most vulnerable in society, and for their parents— that idea of helping them navigate a difficult time,” Johnson said. “I don't think there was ever a day I really didn't want to go to work.” 

Johnson worked each day of her career with the same philosophy: how could she make life better and easier for someone else? Whatever the job is, Johnson believes in finding the value and purpose in it. Part of this was inspired by a book called The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn, which was introduced to her by the college through a leadership networking partnership. 

“When I left, I felt I had done my job to the best of my ability,”  Johnson said. “I tried to affirm each person in my department for their role in taking care of children…We would work together as more of a team.”

Johnson’s advice to early-career pharmacists is to embrace change and lifelong learning. Relying solely on a college degree will lead to obsolete practice, she said.  

“You have to always be changing— you can't practice pharmacy like in 1981, you can't practice pharmacy like in 1990,” she said. “No one likes change, but I don't think that people should fear new changes in the workplace and pharmacy.” 

In her 20s, Johnson’s career plans didn’t go the way she had planned, but she advises not to second-guess yourself or dwell on regrets. She’s shared her story about returning to finish her degree decades later with people who feel like giving up.  

“Sometimes you don't even know what effect you have on people or what effect people have on you,” she said. “I feel so grateful that I was able to work for 44 years, three months and seven days at the same place, and I think about all the different people whose lives I got to be part of.”