By: Jenna Rehnstrom
jrehnstrom@kcautv.com
Nursing is a career traditionally dominated by women. But these days, more men are entering the field, including a growing group of male student athletes at Morningside College.
On the football field, Taylor Johnson is a defensive powerhouse. The senior linebacker helped get the Morningside Mustangs to their first NAIA National Championship game this season.
But off the field, Taylor excels in the classroom and in a field not typically associated with gridiron tough guys.
"I might get some jokes from some of my close friends, but I know it's all in [good] fun," Johnson says.
And this is serious business. Taylor is one of a growing number of male student–athletes in the nursing department at Morningside College. Something that's not so surprising to Mary Kovarna, who's chaired the department for the past nearly 20 years.
"In the last few years, we've had more and more men, in all shapes and sizes and all types of personalities. Men in nursing do bring a different perspective to our profession; because we have been female dominate for so many years," says Kovarna.
The bigger challenge, for both men and women, may be balancing extracurriculars, with a demanding field of study. To get through that, Taylor credits, the disciple and determination he learned on the football field.
"I've always been part of a team – we've always had one common goal to reach, and [it's the] same with nursing. You all have to work together to get to the same point – to heal the patient. So, they kind of go hand in hand if you think about it."
And, while he admits his two passions have some similarities, his tackles on the turf don't exactly mirror his bedside manner.
"When I'm doing my nursing stuff, I'm a nurse and I handle my situations like a nurse, but when I'm on the football field, I would say I'm a little bit of a different person."
But, now that his football career is in the books, it's also time for Taylor to wrap up his training and prepare for a job in the real world in a career once thought of as only for women, this young man knows his next role as a team member will be one more "vital" than any before.
