Contact
Biography
I graduated from the University of Leeds School of Medicine in 1994 and have been a Consultant Physician since 2006, working mainly in the specialty of Acute Internal Medicine. I am author of a number of books and other publications on topics covering patient safety, medical education and acute care. I am a senior fellow of Advance HE, a fellow of the RCPE, RACP and AoME, and the former NHS Institute of Innovation and Improvement.
Since 2014, I have worked at the University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) and am faculty on the University of Nottingham's Masters in Medical Education.
I am the inaugural chair of the UK Clinical Reasoning in Medical Education group (www.creme.org.uk), a registered charity with links in the majority of UK medical schools. We promote excellence in teaching clinical reasoning in medical education and provide high quality resources for teachers and learners. We consult with medical schools in the UK and abroad on clinical reasoning curricula, teaching, and assessment.
Expertise Summary
Main areas of expertise are:
- Clinical reasoning
- Diagnostic error
- Patient safety / human factors
- The science of learning
- The science of instruction
- Improvement science
Teaching Summary
MMedSci Medical Education
Module convenor
- MEDS4015: Principles and practice of teaching & learning (20 credits)
- MEDS4016: Teaching clinical reasoning using case-based learning in educational and clinical environments (20 credits)
Tutor
- MEDS4011: Coaching, mentoring and supervision (20 credits)
- MEDS4017: Research and dissertation (60 credits)
Other
I am a personal tutor and supervise scholars undertaking research for their MMedSci dissertation.
I am also training programme director for the East Midlands AIM/GIM higher specialty training programme, undergraduate and postgraduate education lead for Acute Internal Medicine at UHDB and an active participant in faculty development programmes at UHDB and other Universities in the UK and abroad.
Research Summary
My areas of interest are clinical reasoning and the science of learning.
Current projects:
Technology-enabled clinical reasoning development using case-based learning
The role of semantic memory in clinical reasoning ability
The self-regulated learning of international medical graduates new to the NHS
Selected Publications
COOPER N, BARTLETT M, GAY S, HAMMOND A, LILLICRAP M, MATTHAN J and SINGH M, 2020. Consensus statement on the content of clinical reasoning curricula in undergraduate medical education Medical Teacher. 43(2), 152-159 NICOLA COOPER, PAUL CRAMP, KIRSTY FORREST and RAKESH PATEL, 2020. Essential Guide to Acute Care 3rd Edition. Wiley Blackwell.
RICHMOND A, CRANFIELD T and COOPER N, 2019. Study tips for medical students. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 365, k663
Royal College of Physicians
Secretary of the Acute Internal Medicine specialty certificate examination board 2016-2019
Member of the Acute Internal Medicine specialty certificate examination standards setting committee 2016-2019
Member of the Acute Medicine specialty certificate examination board 2013-2019
Society for Acute Medicine
Chair of the Education Committee 2016-2019
UK Clinical Reasoning in Medical Education group (CReME)
Inaugural chair 2017-present
Health Education England East Midlands
Training programme director, Acute Internal Medicine & General Internal Medicine 2016-present
Past Research
Recent past projects have included:
The impact of student factors on the effectiveness of educational interventions designed to teach clinical reasoning
Consensus statement on the content of clinical reasoning curricula in undergraduate medical education