A PICU “legend” retires after 46 years

By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org

Ruth Johnson walked the halls of the PICU at Riley Hospital for Children for the last time Tuesday.

Wearing a tiara and a sash befitting a queen, the PICU secretary said goodbye to her reign on the critical care unit after 46 years on the job.

There were hugs, laughs and celebrations, but there were to be no tears, Johnson said, at least not on her part.

“When I left home this morning, I did my prayers, and I said, ‘I am not going to cry today. So far, so good.’”

But there were still two hours and a lunch gathering to get through before she officially retired.

When nurse Kelsi Croy popped into a conference room while Johnson was sharing memories, it was all either could do to hold back the waterworks.

“Since I’ve been at Riley, two people have had the most impact on me,” Croy said. “One is Jane (Watson), and the other is Ruthie. The way she stands in her faith is something I admire. She’s raised a lot of people here,” said the nurse, who considers Johnson a mother figure.

“You can’t do this,” Johnson warned Croy with a gentle smile. “You’re not going to make me cry.”

“Ruthie shines in the work we do,” Croy continued. “She has impacted people in ways she might not even know.”

Johnson, a mother of three and grandmother of three, began her Riley career in 1979 when she was barely 19. Why stay so long?

“I stayed so long because Riley Hospital is an awesome place to work. I had some great times here. I grew up here,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of things and met a lot of people, so I’ve learned a lot.”

She has also shared her knowledge, whether it’s with new team members or families she gets to know.

Jane Watson, who recently transferred to a nurse navigator role in infectious disease after more than three decades as a nurse on the PICU, recalled how she leaned on Johnson in her early days.

“She whipped me into shape when I started in 1986,” Watson said, later referring to Johnson as her “partner in crime.”

“Ruth is a legend on the PICU. She is a true example of commitment, a strong work ethic, integrity, and doing what it takes for the greater good,” Watson said. She is the core that keeps our unit running smoothly. She is a valuable resource to our nurses, our physicians, our support staff and especially our families.”

Watson said Johnson’s knowledge outshines even Google.

“She has precepted and taught so many unit secretaries who have come and gone over the years. She has incredible patience and such a calm spirit. I have known Ruth for nearly 40 years, and I have never, ever heard her raise her voice. It always brought me such comfort, especially in recent years, when she was working on my charge shifts.”

In fact, the two women made a pact long ago that when one left the PICU, the other would follow. Watson beat her to it by a couple of months, but Johnson, whose husband passed away unexpectedly in April, said the time is right for her to retire.

She looks forward to taking long walks, reading, listening to spiritual music, spending time with family and staying involved with her church.

She is grateful for the enormous support she felt from her PICU family in the wake of her husband Ira’s death and will carry that love forward into retirement.

“Not a day went by that I did not receive many calls and texts from people here,” she said. “This is my family, too.”

Jessalyn Parsley, manager of clinical operations on the PICU, agrees with Watson that Johnson is a fountain of knowledge and will be difficult to replace.

“I’ve been here almost 18 years, and Ruth has always been the go-to secretary. She knows all the answers. She is amazing.”

In fact, she often seemed to know what people needed before they did, Watson said.

“I have always told her she could be an honorary charge nurse because she's the one that runs the show, but I could never get her to take the charge phone and pager (lol). She is one of the true greats.”

Now when the dayshift PICU team gathers for report tomorrow and the next day and the next, there will be an empty chair in the conference room. The blue rocker in the corner somehow just became Johnson’s seat over the years. She would claim it at 6:30 every morning, and that was that.

“That was my seat,” she laughed. “Apparently everyone knew it.”

And now, she said, “we’ll let the next Miss Ruth have it.”

Photos by Mike Dickbernd, IU Health visual journalist, mdickbernd@iuhealth.org