School of Medicine
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Nicola Cooper

Professor of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

I graduated from the University of Leeds in 1994 and have been a Consultant Physician since 2006, mainly working in the specialty of Acute Internal Medicine.

I am a Clinical Academic and the Course Director of postgraduate taught courses (PGCert, PGDip and Masters) in Medical Education.

Outside the University, I am mainly known for my work in clinical reasoning education. I am the inaugural chair of the UK Clinical Reasoning in Medical Education group (www.creme.org.uk), a not-for-profit organisation with links in the majority of medical schools. Our mission is to promote excellence in teaching clinical reasoning in medical education and provide high quality resources for teachers and learners. I consult with medical schools and postgraduate training programmes in the UK and abroad on their clinical reasoning curricula and staff development.

Expertise Summary

Main areas of expertise are:

  • Clinical reasoning
  • Diagnostic error
  • How people learn
  • Instructional design
  • Patient safety / human factors
  • Improvement science

Teaching Summary

PGCert/PGDip/MMedSci Medical Education

Course Director

Module Convenor

  • MEDS4015: principles and practice of teaching & learning (20 credits)
  • MEDS4016: teaching clinical reasoning using case-based learning (20 credits)
  • MEDS4012: underperformance and performance enhancement (20 credits)
  • MEDS4007: learning in complex and uncertain clinical environments (20 credits)

Tutor

  • MEDS4011: coaching and mentoring skills in supervision (20 credits)
  • MEDI4015: principles of leadership and management in education (20 credits)
  • MEDS4017: research and dissertation (60 credits)

Other

With colleagues, I lead the School of Medicine's clinical educator development programme for NHS staff who teach our medical students.

I wrote and supervise a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called Becoming an Expert Educator in the Healthcare Professions.

I am regularly asked to run workshops and deliver keynote lectures at universities and conferences around the UK and abroad.

Research Summary

Current projects:

The role of the supervisor in self-regulated learning in clinical environments

The self-regulated learning of international medical graduates new to the NHS

Cross-cultural differences in self-regulated learning

Exploring Foundation Programme trainees' experience of clinical reasoning teaching

Recent Publications

Qualifications

MBChB MMedSci MRCP(UK) FAcadMEd FRCPE FRACP SFHEA

Royal College of Physicians

Secretary of the Acute Internal Medicine Specialty Certificate Exam Board 2016-2019

Member of the Acute Internal Medicine Specialty Certificate Exam Standards Setting Committee 2016-2019

Society for Acute Medicine

Chair of the Education Committee 2016-2019

Health Education East Midlands

Training Programme Director, Acute Internal Medicine 2016-2022

UK Clinical Reasoning in Medical Education group (CReME)

Chair 2017 - present

School of Medicine

University of Nottingham
Medical School
Nottingham, NG7 2UH

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