Nicholas Overton, MD

Resident

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Emergency Medicine

Classification:

Resident

• MD, University of Mississippi

Hometown: Brandon, Mississippi
Undergraduate institution: Mississippi College
Medical school: University of Mississippi Medical Center
 

Why did you choose WVU?
During my final year in medical school I did two away rotations along with my home rotation so I was fortunate enough to be able to compare three different EDs.  WVU had the perfect balance of being supportive while allowing residents autonomy in their practice.  This was something I came to appreciate even more as I rotated and interviewed at other programs.  Something in particular that stood out to me was how organized the traumas/codes at WVU were.  Everyone knew their roles and communicated efficiently so instead of being loud and chaotic, it was quiet and streamlined.  The residents really made an effort to get to know me and made me feel like I was part of the team.  One resident even invited me to play golf on one of our off days.  Another positive lasting impression was made by a resident who was working off service, but in her free time would come to the ED just to visit.  It spoke volumes about the family environment that I came to appreciate in the ED at WVU.  Additionally, it was obvious that the ED leadership had a calling for teaching young physicians/medical students.  The educational workshops were extremely informative, but always laid back and fun.  All of this together made choosing WVU an easy decision.

Brief bio:
Cooper is originally from central Mississippi and attended Mississippi College where he graduated with a bachelor’s in Biology and a minor in French.  For the next few years he taught Spanish at a local high school before attending nursing school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  After graduating he worked at an LTAC for about a year before finally settling in at St. Dominic’s in the emergency room.  It was here, over the next 5 years and with the encouragement of the ED physicians, Cooper felt a calling not only for medical school, but for emergency medicine.  He completed a Masters in Biomedical Sciences and subsequently attended medical school at UMMC.  He tried to keep an open mind toward all specialties during medical school, but nothing had the same draw for him as emergency medicine.   The variety of undifferentiated patients and the need to be prepared for anything at any time appealed to him.  He plans to complete his residency in emergency medicine at WVU and is interested in learning more about ultrasound and global health fellowships.  Outside the hospital Cooper loves world travel, learning/experiencing new cultures and is currently self-studying Japanese.  He is interested in participating in foreign medical mission trips with his church following graduation.  He likes to play golf and spend time outside in nature, but is not ashamed to admit he enjoys playing video games occasionally as well.