Student who did not do the Leaving Cert now sets sights on being a heart surgeon
With the Leaving Cert beginning in just a few days, we are hearing from some of the young people who took alternative paths to the CAO points race.
The first of these is a university student from Dublin who did not sit the Leaving Cert but has set his sights on achieving their dream of becoming a heart surgeon.
20-year-old Liam Nugent has wanted to be a doctor since he was a child. But when he was unable to sit his Leaving Cert due to missing so much school, he feared that dream had slipped away.
Liam is autistic and has a chronic anxiety disorder which made attending school very difficult for him.
"Secondary school for me was terrible," he explained. "I think the structure of school was part of it, it's so rigid and it's about learning in a specific way, when there's a million different ways to learn."
When he realised he would not be sitting his exams, he worried about what other people would think of him, and how it could impact his career aspirations.
"I was worried people would think I was stupid, I felt like a failure to be honest," he said.
"I was told it wasn't realistic for me to get into college or university. It was a difficult time for me to figure out what I was going to do with my life because I really just wanted to be a doctor."
Liam's parents helped him to find a path to where he wanted to be.
It began with being accepted into a pre-university science PLC course at Greenhills Community College.
"It was a fresh start, I got to meet new people and get educated in things I'm really interested in," Liam said.
He has just completed second year studying Biotechnology at Dublin City University, and has his next steps mapped out.
"So, it's four years in biotech, then four years of graduate entry medicine, then a two-year residency, and then eight years doing the surgery course in RCSI," he explained.
"People are like, 'This is a crazy commitment.' But when you want something, it's not, really. This is what I want, and this is the pathway."
Liam shared a piece of advice to students ahead of their exams: "If you want to do it, you can do it. There is a route in, no matter what other people say.
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Dublin Live
4 days ago
- Dublin Live
'Happily married' nurse 'crossed the line' texting 'creeped out' teen patient
A nurse who made inappropriate and sexualised comments and sent follow-up text messages to a young female patient attending Beaumont Hospital in Dublin two years ago has been found guilty of professional misconduct. The nurse, Mark Lester Ordonez, admitted to a fitness-to-practise inquiry of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland that he had "crossed the line" in his interactions with the 18-year-old girl when she attended the hospital on June 21, 2023 for a endoscopy procedure but begged to be given a second chance for his "stupid mistake." The NMBI inquiry found five separate allegations of professional misconduct proven against the Filipino nurse which included allegations relating to texts sent later the same day by Mr Ordonez to what he believed was the girl's mobile phone but which actually belonged to her mother. The inquiry chairperson, Mary Leahy, said Mr Ordonez's behaviour represented a serious falling short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and he had "crossed a boundary" by making a serious of personal and inappropriate remarks to a vulnerable, anxious patient and subsequently making unsolicited contact with her by text message. Ms Leahy also said the nurse should not have contacted the patient's mother who had made a legitimate complaint about him, while his actions also represented a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for nurses. In a written statement, the girl – identified only as Patient A – explained she was anxious about doing her Leaving Cert and it was the first time she did not need to be accompanied by one of her parents for an endoscopy as she had turned 18, although her mother was waiting for her in the hospital. Patient A said she was taken aback by the nurse asking her: "Are any boys adding to your stress?" The girl said she tried to laugh it off but felt extremely awkward before the nurse said: "You are too pretty not to have a boyfriend" and "You remind me of my ex-girlfriend in Germany." Patient A said the atmosphere in the room had changed at that stage and she felt "really uncomfortable" and there was an awkward silence. The inquiry heard that the teenager fainted as she was going to have the procedure. After it was finished, Patient A said she wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible and described how her mother was shocked to hear about the nurse's comments on their way home. The girl said she never wanted to be the reason why the nurse lost his job. In a separate statement, Patient A's mother said she did not make too much of what happened at first apart from feeling uncomfortable that the nurse was too old to be looking at her daughter in that way. The woman said she was shopping later that evening when she received a text which appeared to come from Mr Ordonez which mentioned her daughter's name. It read: "Sorry to bother you and can't help myself to look into your number. If you are not happy or comfortable for me to message you just let me know. I'm so sorry again if that's the case." Patient A's mother recalled: "I nearly dropped with shock...I felt sick at the realisation that Mr Ordonez was essentially asking [Patient A] out." The woman said she received another text from Mr Ordonez later that evening which stated: "By the way, what happened to you a while ago is called vasovagal syncope." She said she could not believe the nurse had texted again, while her daughter was "a bit creeped out." The woman said she contacted the hospital the following day to make a complaint. The inquiry heard she contacted Beaumont again the following month after receiving an aggressive text from Mr Ordonez on July 25, 2023 which read: "I hope you are happy now. I got terminated." The inquiry heard that Beaumont Hospital took the decision to end the nurse's probationary period on that date following the complaint in relation to Patient A. Counsel for the NMBI, Miska Hanahoe BL, said the nurse's comments to the patient were inappropriate and of a sexual nature, while he had also inappropriately accessed her medical records to obtain her contact number and send a number of text messages when there was no clinical justification. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez had offered "heartfelt apologies" to Patient A and her family for his actions but explained he was new to Ireland at the time. The nurse claimed "every day is a learning experience" as he adapted to the culture, rights and responsibilities which operated in Ireland. Mr Ordonez gave evidence that he was a happily married man with a six-year-old son who had moved to Ireland to build a better life for his family. When working in the Philippines, the nurse said he would feel a responsibility to endoscopy patients after work by checking how they were after the procedure and did not realise that GDPR was "such a big issue" in Ireland, although he had received training about it. Asked about his comments to Patient A, Mr Ordonez told his counsel, Bébhinn Murphy BL, that he was just making some joke as he saw the girl was really stressed. Mr Ordonez explained he just tried to "make things light" by appreciating her physique but denied having any sexual or flirtatious intention. He said he sent texts later that evening "out of concern and nothing else" and to give her some information. Mr Ordonez said if he had any other intention he would have asked Patient A if she was free for a coffee. The nurse admitted he had sent the text to the girl's mother the following month as a result of the anger, frustration and anxiety he felt after his employment at Beaumont was terminated. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez has been employed at St James's Hospital in Dublin since April 2024 where a character reference from one of his managers stated that he was an individual of the highest integrity with an exemplary record, professionally and personally. At the conclusion of the inquiry, Ms Leahy said the fitness-to-practise committee would submit a report to the NMBI board together with a recommended sanction.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Tourist hit with €88k bill as insurers won't cover Thailand horror fall claim
A British soldier has been hit with huge medical bills after battling for his life following a horrific fall on holiday in Thailand while taking a photo at a popular beauty spot. Liam Gibson, 21, slipped while taking in the scenery at the Na Muang Waterfall 2 in the Ko Samui District area of Thailand on April 12. Liam, from Hartlepool, was waiting an agonising two hours for a rescue operation after his fall, which left him fearing for his life after "bleeding out", reports The Mirror. Five hours later, he was transferred to a local hospital for life-saving surgery, where his girlfriend Lucy was faced with medical staff presenting her with a card machine to cover the treatment. Liam says the medical bills racked up to £75,000 (approximately €87,750), but then he suffered a further blow when his insurers rejected his claim on the grounds he'd put himself "in needless danger". Following the near-fatal fall, Liam was left with a shattered femur in three places, a broken arm, a shattered left hand, a shattered eye socket, cheekbone, nose and skull. But now recovering in the UK after a repatriation flight, Liam says his insurance company have refused to pay out the maximum amount for his policy, meaning he has had to cough up an eyewatering amount. "The day of the accident, we got to the hospital," the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) serviceman told the Mirror. Both Liam and Lucy stressed that they cannot fault the hospital, explaining that the treatment he received was phenomenal, but the trouble started when they sought to cover the medical costs through his travel insurance. Liam said: "The next morning, my girlfriend spoke to the insurance company and said what had happened, she went through the emergency medical side of it. My mum flew out to help with that. "We gave them all the information they needed on days one and two. It took three weeks for them to make a decision, I was stuck in the hospital for three weeks, running up the bills. Some days were up to £1,600 (approximately €1,875), the day of the surgery, one was £13,000 (€15,200), another was £22,000 (€25,750). In my eyes, it was a case of me getting fit to fly and coming home straight away. "At the time, I thought the insurance was paying for it, obviously if I knew it was me paying for it, that's even more of a reason I couldn't afford to stay there." "We'd done the repatriation," he said. Speaking from his home where he is recovering, he explained that the cost of the flight was supposed to be £35,000 (€40,950), but due to needing an extra medic onboard, the cost went up to £37,500 (€44,900). He added: "The insurance decided out of the kindness of their heart, they'd cover £50,000 (€58,000), so I've had to fork out £25,000 (€29,250), for the medical bills. That was totalling £75,000 (€87,750) when I left." Liam says that at the time of being offered the payout, he instantly decided to accept as he had "no choice" due to not having £75,000 (€87,750) available. Due to the mounting medical bills, Liam's girlfriend set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs, which he says was a last resort. "I had to borrow money for the repatriation," he said, before explaining that his insurance firm had rejected his case, claiming he was engaging in deliberate or harmful acts. He branded it "ridiculous", before adding: "There's not one bit in the policy that states what's acceptable, safe or unsafe footwear." In an email from his insurance firm, Admiral, which has been seen by the Mirror, the insurance group said they were unable to process Liam's claim, with them claiming he engaged in a "reckless act" which they class as "putting yourself in needless danger" or "failing to follow recommended safety precautions" on excursions. Liam, like many tourists visiting the waterfall, was wearing sliders due to the intense heat and humidity in the popular resort. While in Thailand, Liam attempted to get in contact with the British Embassy and Consulate but struggled to speak to a human, rather than an electronic operator. Reflecting on the GoFundMe, he said: "It was pretty much a last-ditch effort to get what we can." Since returning to the UK, Liam's local MP, Jonathan Brash, has contacted Admiral to express his disappointment. Liam said: "He came to visit me in the hospital, he's writing a letter to the insurance to get them to change their minds, he said it's an absolute joke." Liam has also been supported by Forces Mutual, an organisation focused on improving the lives of people who serve in HM Forces. "The CEO basically got in contact with me because he'd heard about it through the lads in the army," he said, explaining that the CEO instantly offered to look through Liam's insurance policy. He has now appealed Admiral's decision, and failing any movement, he is prepared to discuss his case with the ombudsman. Reflecting on his fall, which was just over two months ago, Liam says he remembers the "majority" of the terrifying incident, including going over the edge. However, he doesn't remember his "way down". Liam had been taking a picture of his surroundings when his feet gave way, and he slipped over and started to pick up speed. While Liam didn't fall the whole way down, he instead landed on "a bit of rock sticking out halfway down". His girlfriend had previously told the Mirror that had he fallen any further, he'd have "died on the spot". Now, he's unsure if he doesn't remember descending due to either hitting his head or mentally blocking it out. "I remember slipping, then going towards the edge thinking 'S**t, here we go,' going over and then I remember waking up and crawling out of the water. I remember most of being at the bottom, but I was in and out of consciousness, I was pouring with blood, I wasn't all there," he said. He says that reading Lucy's previous interview with the Mirror in the hospital, the memories started flooding back to him. Recalling the incident, he said: "I was unlucky for what happened but since the accident, everything has been so lucky. There was a vine swinging off before I went over the edge which slowed me down. "I landed (on) the ledge, not the right the way down. My girlfriend came and found me, and a doctor bandaged me up. Everything from the fall was really lucky after that." Locals and doctors told Liam he was "lucky to be alive" following the fall in the area, which they described as the "Taker of Young Souls". Liam had three operations in Thailand, including one on his eye, which he says didn't work, and an emergency surgery on his skull. "We got back and surgeons here did X-rays, they found that the titanium mesh under my eye was slipping, my eyeball was slipping right down behind my cheekbone," he said, explaining he was "going blind" in the eye. He had emergency surgery just two days after his X-rays. Now, he is making a recovery at home, engaging in physiotherapy sessions and consultations with medical staff. When approached by the Mirror, Admiral Insurance said they were "very sorry" to hear of Liam's situation and understood that the outcome of his insurance policy may not have been what he was expecting. They said that Mr Gibson "knowingly undertook a risky activity despite clear warnings". A spokesperson said: "We're really sorry to hear about the injuries he has suffered and as a gesture of goodwill, we made an offer of an ex gratia payment of £50,000 (€58,000) to assist with medical costs and his return home. "Mr Gibson accepted this and asked us to pay this directly to the hospital towards the medical costs incurred, which we are in the process of doing. To assess his claim, we conducted a thorough review, including a site investigation, due to the limited information Mr Gibson and his girlfriend initially provided. "Based on the investigation and the statements provided by both of them, we understand Mr Gibson was injured while climbing the Na Muang waterfall and taking a photograph at the top of the waterfall, despite multiple warning signs of the dangers of slipping or falling due to the terrain and slippery rocks. The information provided to us included Mr Gibson confirming that he wasn't wearing appropriate footwear, given the dangerous nature of the site." The spokesperson stated that an agent visited the location of the waterfall to determine whether there was information to make visitors aware of the risks. An agent supplied photographic evidence, stating that there were signs located throughout the journey to the waterfall, displaying the risks involved from walking, climbing, jumping or diving in the area. Phone numbers for emergency services were also visible. "We carefully considered all of the information, including Mr Gibson's account of the incident, the investigator's insights, including photographs of the site, the surrounding warning signs and the information available online about the site," they said. The spokesperson added: "Taking all this into account and given the foreseeable risk and the nature of his actions, which fall under our policy's exclusions for reckless acts, we were unable to cover his claim."
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Sunday World
‘Happily married' nurse made sexualised comments and sent texts to young patient
Mr Ordonez also sent texts to what he believed was the girl's mobile phone but which actually belonged to her mother A nurse who made inappropriate and sexualised comments and sent follow-up text messages to a young female patient attending Beaumont Hospital in Dublin two years ago has been found guilty of professional misconduct. The nurse, Mark Lester Ordonez, admitted to a fitness-to-practise inquiry of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland that he had 'crossed the line' in his interactions with the 18-year-old girl when she attended the hospital on June 21, 2023 for a endoscopy procedure but begged to be given a second chance for his 'stupid mistake.' The NMBI inquiry found five separate allegations of professional misconduct proven against the Filipino nurse which included allegations relating to texts sent later the same day by Mr Ordonez to what he believed was the girl's mobile phone but which actually belonged to her mother. The inquiry chairperson, Mary Leahy, said Mr Ordonez's behaviour represented a serious falling short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and he had 'crossed a boundary' by making a serious of personal and inappropriate remarks to a vulnerable, anxious patient and subsequently making unsolicited contact with her by text message. Ms Leahy also said the nurse should not have contacted the patient's mother who had made a legitimate complaint about him, while his actions also represented a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for nurses. In a written statement, the girl – identified only as Patient A – explained she was anxious about doing her Leaving Cert and it was the first time she did not need to be accompanied by one of her parents for an endoscopy as she had turned 18, although her mother was waiting for her in the hospital. Patient A said she was taken aback by the nurse asking her: 'Are any boys adding to your stress?' The girl said she tried to laugh it off but felt extremely awkward before the nurse said: 'You are too pretty not to have a boyfriend' and 'You remind me of my ex-girlfriend in Germany.' Patient A said the atmosphere in the room had changed at that stage and she felt 'really uncomfortable' and there was an awkward silence. The inquiry heard that the teenager fainted as she was going to have the procedure. After it was finished, Patient A said she wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible and described how her mother was shocked to hear about the nurse's comments on their way home. The girl said she never wanted to be the reason why the nurse lost his job. In a separate statement, Patient A's mother said she did not make too much of what happened at first apart from feeling uncomfortable that the nurse was too old to be looking at her daughter in that way. The woman said she was shopping later that evening when she received a text which appeared to come from Mr Ordonez which mentioned her daughter's name. It read: 'Sorry to bother you and can't help myself to look into your number. If you are not happy or comfortable for me to message you just let me know. I'm so sorry again if that's the case.' Patient A's mother recalled: 'I nearly dropped with shock…I felt sick at the realisation that Mr Ordonez was essentially asking [Patient A] out.' The woman said she received another text from Mr Ordonez later that evening which stated: 'By the way, what happened to you a while ago is called vasovagal syncope.' She said she could not believe the nurse had texted again, while her daughter was 'a bit creeped out.' The woman said she contacted the hospital the following day to make a complaint. The inquiry heard she contacted Beaumont again the following month after receiving an aggressive text from Mr Ordonez on July 25, 2023 which read: 'I hope you are happy now. I got terminated.' The inquiry heard that Beaumont Hospital took the decision to end the nurse's probationary period on that date following the complaint in relation to Patient A. Counsel for the NMBI, Miska Hanahoe BL, said the nurse's comments to the patient were inappropriate and of a sexual nature, while he had also inappropriately accessed her medical records to obtain her contact number and send a number of text messages when there was no clinical justification. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez had offered 'heartfelt apologies' to Patient A and her family for his actions but explained he was new to Ireland at the time. The nurse claimed 'every day is a learning experience' as he adapted to the culture, rights and responsibilities which operated in Ireland. Mr Ordonez gave evidence that he was a happily married man with a six-year-old son who had moved to Ireland to build a better life for his family. When working in the Philippines, the nurse said he would feel a responsibility to endoscopy patients after work by checking how they were after the procedure and did not realise that GDPR was 'such a big issue' in Ireland, although he had received training about it. Asked about his comments to Patient A, Mr Ordonez told his counsel, Bébhinn Murphy BL, that he was just making some joke as he saw the girl was really stressed. Mr Ordonez explained he just tried to 'make things light' by appreciating her physique but denied having any sexual or flirtatious intention. He said he sent texts later that evening 'out of concern and nothing else' and to give her some information. Mr Ordonez said if he had any other intention he would have asked Patient A if she was free for a coffee. The nurse admitted he had sent the text to the girl's mother the following month as a result of the anger, frustration and anxiety he felt after his employment at Beaumont was terminated. The inquiry heard Mr Ordonez has been employed at St James's Hospital in Dublin since April 2024 where a character reference from one of his managers stated that he was an individual of the highest integrity with an exemplary record, professionally and personally. At the conclusion of the inquiry, Ms Leahy said the fitness-to-practise committee would submit a report to the NMBI board together with a recommended sanction.
