KNOXVILLE, IA – Patients at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics (KHC) will be seeing a new face in the halls of the hospital and clinic. Under the supervision of KHC family medicine provider Shannon Remington, DO, Zachary Johnson, MD, is completing part of his final two years of the MercyOne Des Moines Family Medicine Rural Residency Program at KHC.
Having grown up on a farm and graduating from a small school in rural southern Iowa, Johnson knew he wanted to practice rural family medicine because it would give him the opportunity to care for patients who shared similar interests.
“I want to learn and become familiar with the rural setting because I feel being a family medicine provider in rural Iowa will allow me to learn and do the most,” said Johnson. “I look forward to having the opportunity to do more procedures myself while learning how to care for more complex medical problems in small-town-Iowa. I see myself living and working in southern Iowa in the future. I do not like traffic or big city life!”
After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern Community College and the University of Iowa, Johnson went on to receive his medical degree from Ross University in the Caribbean before applying to the residency program.
Johnson spent his first year of the program at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center completing specialty rotations before joining KHC, one of a few rural facilities participating in the MercyOne Des Moines Family Medicine Rural Residency Program, at the beginning of August for clinical rotations.
As a family medicine physician, Johnson will assist Remington and other KHC family medicine providers in providing treatment of illnesses and injuries, health screenings and tests, physical exams, well-child and adolescent care, chronic care management, preventive care, and other health care needs.
In his spare time, Johnson enjoys going on walks with his wife and their two foster children and dog and playing video games with his wife and other family members. He would also like to get more into fishing and hiking in the future.
The MercyOne Des Moines Family Medicine Rural Residency Program, which began last year and admits two residents per year, is designed to increase accredited residency training in family medicine in rural areas throughout the state of Iowa. One of the goals of the program is to increase the knowledge, skills, and competencies family medicine residents will need to effectively practice in a rural community so that participating residents graduate and choose to stay and practice medicine in rural Iowa.
Remington shares that it was an honor for her to be asked to oversee Johnson in the program.
“Teaching has always been a passion of mine, and I look forward to sharing with Dr. Johnson more about the importance of rural health care,” said Remington. “As more and more rural health care providers reach retirement age, having new providers – like Dr. Johnson – ready and eager to step in and practice rural medicine will continue to be important. I am excited to help teach and shape our future generation of rural medicine.”
Knoxville Hospital & Clinics is a non-profit community hospital serving Marion County and the surrounding area. Named a “Top 100 Critical Access Hospital”, KHC’s highly skilled medical staff and specialists provide personal, compassionate, and innovative quality health care to patients. For more information regarding this release and other happenings at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics, call the Public Relations office at (641) 842-1485.
