2025 Winner of the Award of Merit:
Ian Johnson
Biography:
As a graduate from Pharmacy school whether it be this spring or back in 77 when I hit the pavement, you face a dilemma of where to work, what type of pharmacy practice and what the future holds for your profession
Coming from Northern Manitoba and enjoying the area I chose to return starting with a position at Lavitt’s Drugs in Flin Flon. From there the flight begins, a two year stint at St. Anthony’s General Hospital and the really big move to opening Nordic Pharmacy in The Pas in 1980. These were exciting times, getting married in LacBrochet to Marie Denechezche that same year as we settled for the long haul in The Pas. Two busy boys followed and a total immersion in the culture of the North and small town rural Manitoba. Along comes a buyout offer and suddenly the business you nurtured along is gone. It is a shock but time to pull in the reins and do locums when the spirit moved you and truly have an independent schedule.
Pharmacy evolved of course from graduation days, a roll of labels and a manual typewriter to where we are now, computers and formularies as thick as the Bible. Moving to Winnipeg, trying to keep up with grand kids and still have my connections with healthcare,. Pharmacists Manitoba provides a great outlet, to meeting new grads and retaining a relationship within the profession, and here we are today. Almost 50 years have slipped by with a pharmacy license and where did the time go, So just hang in there and appreciate the opportunity, your future is bright !