Having worked in both a large metropolitan healthcare system and a rural Indian Health Service facility, Dr. Zachary Zemore has seen the extremes when it comes to levels of access communities have to healthcare.
He hopes to bring his experience and knowledge from both sides to the team at Sheridan Memorial Hospital, where he began work as a hospitalist Oct. 2. A hospitalist is a physician who specializes in providing and managing the care and treatment of hospitalized patients.
“I’ve worked in systems where patients had access to every specialty imaginable to the opposite, where resources were scarce and you provided the best care for patients you could given existing resources,” Zemore said. “In Sheridan, I’m looking forward to being able to spend more time with patients and provide a continuum of care with the resources available at Sheridan Memorial Hospital and in the community.”
Zemore credits his interest in medicine to the time he spent in high school and college volunteering as a firefighter and emergency medical technician. He said he learned a lot in those years, including that he enjoyed both the variety in the workday and the ability to help people. Seeking more structure to his career, Zemore opted to major in biomedical engineering for his undergraduate degree knowing he intended to attend medical school.
Zemore earned his medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine before completing residencies in both emergency medicine and internal medicine. Excited to try something new, Zemore and his wife, Natalie, who is also a physician, explored various regions that offered the outdoor activities they enjoy.
The duo landed in Hardin, Montana, where Zemore worked for the Indian Health Service Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital as an emergency medicine and hospitalist physician. His wife works in Billings, Montana.
Zemore said he looks forward to getting to know patients and prides himself on understanding a patient’s journey from the emergency department or intake through the hospital stay and discharge.
“Understanding the entire patient journey and experience helps me, as a provider, to understand the individual and provide the best care possible,” Zemore said.
In addition to his role as a hospitalist at Sheridan Memorial Hospital, Zemore serves as the medical director for Big Horn County, Montana, emergency medical services.
When not working or volunteering, Zemore and his wife enjoy exploring the outdoors hunting, fishing and hiking with their two dogs, Ollie and Bowzer. Come winter, the young family also plans to spend time skiing and snowshoeing.
To get the most up-to-date information and learn more about Sheridan Memorial Hospital physicians, visit sheridanhospital.org/find-a-doctor.