Dr. Arielle King: Texas College of Emergency Physicians Award
By Ron Durham
Like many UT Southwestern Medical School graduates, Dr. Arielle King considered several other professions before ultimately deciding on a medical career. In her case, Dr. King began as an art major before earning a degree in international studies and a minor in Japanese, with the intention of becoming a language teacher.
And though she had already spent considerable time acquiring the credentials to fulfill that objective – studying in Japan for a year, serving as an officer of the Japanese Culture Organization, joining a Japanese Language Exchange group – Dr. King felt something was lacking.
“After college I felt unfulfilled with the thought of being a language teacher and started taking prerequisite courses for physician assistant school,” she said.
Dr. King ultimately opted to go for medical school and found an ideal fit in emergency medicine while at UT Southwestern Medical School. The specialty provided such a perfect match, in fact, that Dr. King has earned the 2017 Texas College of Emergency Physicians Award, presented to a Medical Student who demonstrates excellence in emergency medicine, with special dedication to Texans who need emergency care.
“Arielle has been one of the most active students we have ever had in terms of representing the needs of an emergency medicine career student through multiple national and regional organizations,” said Dr. Jeffrey T. Van Dermark, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine. “She has served as a Society for Academic Emergency Medicine ambassador, represented our local student interest group at TCEP, and has excelled in her representative and leadership roles.
“We are thrilled she is continuing her residency in Texas as she continues to thrive in organized medicine activities through TCEP. Her sense of giving back to the people of Texas is what the TCEP student award is all about.”
Dr. King soon will begin her residency at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, after which she said she will consider a fellowship in either medical education or administration. She would also love to someday work in Antarctica.
Dr. King is no stranger to providing care, as her mother, Dr. Elizabeth King, is a veterinarian.
“I specifically went to medical school to do emergency medicine after working as a scribe at Cook Children’s Emergency Department in Fort Worth after college. I wanted to gain experience in the human side of medicine,” Dr. King said. “Previously I only ever knew the animal view of medicine, thanks to my mother.”
While at UT Southwestern, Dr. King has been President of the Emergency Medicine Interest Group, was a national officer for the Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association Medical Student Council, and served as a student manager of the Union Gospel Mission homeless shelter clinics. In all, she has volunteered more than 300 hours throughout Medical School.
“Emergency medicine is the right fit for me first and foremost because it is a versatile field with many different career paths, which is perfect for someone like me who likes to have a variety of options,” Dr. King said. “I also enjoy fast-paced environments, the unexpected, meeting and helping a variety of people, and I am a night person to boot. It is also a field strongly focused on advocacy.”
