January 09, 2023

Meet Craig Johnson, RN 

Nurse Manager 

Where are you from? 

I am from St Louis, born and raised! 

What brought you to Washington University Orthopedics? 

In my previous life, I was a nurse in the ED at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. Working there, I had the opportunity to work with Washington University Physicians and learned so much from them. They were always teaching and I loved that. In the ED, my favorite patients to take care of were orthopedic patients. So, when the opportunity arrived to be part of the WashU team AND work in orthopedics, it was no brainer for me.

How do you support the department? 

I currently work as a nurse manager for the pediatric orthopedic outpatient clinic, primarily at our SLCH downtown location. I have the opportunity to work alongside some of the most incredible people day in and day out. It’s a pretty cool gig!

What aspect of your work do you find most interesting or rewarding? 

Working with the patients is by far the most rewarding. Kids are so amazingly resilient.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? 

I enjoy playing golf and fishing and pretty much any sport. I love to just be outside! We have four boys who keep us on our toes. All of them are involved in various sports, so there isn’t really a lot of down time. I REALLY enjoy being with them and watching them play.

What's the best advice you ever received? 

There are only two things in life you are fully in control of…your attitude and your effort. 

If you weren't in health care, what would you like to be doing? 

Great question. I recently finished watching he 4th season of Yellowstone, so right now I'm  thinking...Cowboy ;}

Anything else you’d like to share? 

My wife, Sarah (who I met in nursing school) and I have been married for 19 years. We have four boys (Matthew and Will who are 15, Andrew 13,  and Henry 6) and a black lab (Marley… she’s the princess), and all of them keep us very busy.

Learn why patients choose Washington University Orthopedics. 

Request an appointment online or call (314)514-3500.