News

Recent grad Megan Johnson’s ideal job is working with older adults

By Dora Grote

Published on June 1, 2015

A portrait of Megan Johnson of the University of Iowa College of Public Health.
Megan Johnson

Shiny, round, amber, or plastic, buttons come in all shapes and sizes—a fact that Megan Johnson knows very well. At first glance, you won’t notice the importance of buttons in her life, but look closer, and you’ll see a tattoo of a button behind her ear—a tribute to her grandmother, an avid button collector who passed away two years ago.

“I often think it was the close relationship I had with my grandparents that makes me so excited to work with older adults,” Johnson says.

Johnson, a recent Master of Public Health graduate in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health, has set the goal of eventually becoming a wellness director in a retirement home. Her love for working with older adults stems from her grandparents and has carried on to her internships.

“I enjoy working with older adults because they are a kind and very receptive population,” she says. “It’s like surrounding yourself with a bunch of grandparents who love and care about your success and appreciate all you do for them.”

Gaining Work Experience

As a wellness intern at a Des Moines retirement residence called Wesley Acres, Johnson gained experience working with older adults, promoted health, and met her mentor, Mary McCarthy, who inspired her career goals.

“I enjoyed my work so much at this internship that I decided I wanted to pursue the same credentials as my preceptor,” she says.

Johnson graduated from Iowa State University in 2013 with a major in kinesiology focusing on community and public health and a minor in psychology. She’s always been interested in healthy behaviors, and tended toward health and activity classes in high school.

At the University of Iowa, she was a teaching assistant in the Health and Physical Activity Skills Program, and taught Volleyball Skills and Core Strengthening to undergraduate students. She also had the opportunity to help with a research project last summer looking at the social networks of older adults in Ottumwa, Iowa.

She worked as a water aerobics instructor at Oaknoll Retirement Residence in Iowa City and completed her student practicum at the Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center. There she tackled several projects, including conducting demographic and fitness surveys to gather data and feedback and working with a local chef to provide educational events on nutrition and aging.

Looking Ahead

“With my University of Iowa degree and internships, I have a better understanding of developing and implementing a plan of action and then effectively evaluating its implementation,” Johnson says. “I think these are skills that will be essential if I am to lead a wellness department, organize health programs and education, and be an ambassador for health.”

Johnson plans to continue gaining skills and credentials necessary for acquiring her ideal job. She hopes to be a certified personal trainer with a specialization in older adults, adding on to her Certified Health Education Specialist credentials.

Just like her grandmother had a variety of buttons in her collection, Johnson aspires to become well rounded in her field, collecting a variety of skills to build her public health career.