Nurse guilty of misconduct after sexualised comments to teenage patient
- Dignity 4Patients
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 4 minutes ago
By Seán McCárthaigh - Irish Independent - 17.06.2025 - [IRELAND] - [Mark Lester Ordonez]
A nurse who made inappropriate and sexualised comments and sent follow-up text messages to a young female patient attending Beaumont Hospital in Dublin 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 (NMBI) 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 an endoscopy procedure.
But he begged to be given a second chance for his “stupid mistake”.
The NMBI inquiry found five separate allegations of professional misconduct proved 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.
Inquiry chairperson Mary Leahy said Mr Ordonez’s behaviour represented a serious falling short of the standards expected of a registered nurse. He had “crossed a boundary” by making a series 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 because 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 had been 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 that 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 said: “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 got in touch with 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 was told 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 that 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 because he saw the girl was really stressed.
Mr Ordonez said 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 that if he had had any other intention, he would have asked Patient A whether 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 was told Mr Ordonez has been employed at St James’s Hospital in Dublin since April 2024. 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. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and were abused in state run medical and health facilities, you can contact Dignity4Patients, whose helpline is open Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm.
Dignity4Patients Commentary:- A concerning incident at a Dublin hospital, where a male nurse was found guilty of misconduct after making inappropriate & sexual comments to a teenage female patient. He further breached her privacy by accessing medical records to obtain personal contact information to text her. Upholding professional boundaries & ensuring a safe healthcare environment are crucial if we want a safe space for our children and vulnerable adults to access healthcare.
