Rate My Professor Andrea Thompson

Andrea Thompson serves as Principal Lecturer and Portfolio Lead for Allied Health Professions in the School of Society, Community and Health at the University of Bedfordshire. A registered Operating Department Practitioner with over 24 years of experience in clinical practice and academia, she joined the university in 2015 as a lecturer on the Operating Department Practice programme. She advanced to Course Coordinator for the programme in 2017 and to her current principal lecturer role in 2022. Thompson also acts as School Enhancement Lead, representing the school and prioritizing student experience through inclusive practices. Her qualifications include a BSc in Perioperative Critical Care from the University of Bedfordshire, an MSc in Advancing Healthcare Practice from the Open University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education, and she is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Bedfordshire focused on neurodiversity and enhancing the learner experience. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a registrant with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Thompson's academic interests center on inclusive teaching and learning, particularly addressing dyslexia in higher education and promoting awareness of diverse learning styles. Her scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed articles on simulation-based medical education and clinical training. Key publications are 'Advanced clinicians’ experience of participation in an escape room scenario designed to consolidate crisis resource management principles: an exploratory pilot study' (2023, Australian Critical Care), 'Capturing debriefing and enhancing reflection within simulated clinical learning environments' (2020, International Journal of Practice-Based Learning in Health and Social Care), 'Peer-assisted learning in simulation-based medical education: a mixed-methods exploratory study' (2020, BMJ Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning), 'Peer-assisted learning in scenario-based simulation' (2018, Medical Education), and 'Simulation for emergency nurses (SIREN): a quasi-experimental study' (2018, Nurse Education Today). She also contributed to the book Practice Supervision and Assessment in Nursing, Health and Social Care (Routledge, 2024). Through her leadership in allied health education, Thompson fosters environments that value and support diverse learners.