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For one recent graduate of ��ɫ��Ƶ’s School of Medicine, the road to becoming a doctor has been shaped by a commitment to humanitarian work – even on the frontlines of war.

Dr Oran McInerney from Doonbeg, County Clare was one of over 700 students conferred as part of the University’s Summer ceremonies, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from UL’s Faculty of Education and Health Sciences.

“I always had an interest in health and fitness and originally thought I wanted to become a dietitian. My mother is a nurse, and my granny was a nurse. I saw how they were both always helping people in the community in any way they could, and that definitely inspired me to go as far as I could with my studies.”

After attending an open day while at secondary school at St Michael’s in Kilmihil, UL stood out for Oran. 

“UL has by far the best campus in the country. The facilities, the clubs and societies, the atmosphere – it’s a place that attracts great people. There were always friends to be made and the craic to be had.”

Having graduated with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from UL in 2021, Oran decided to apply for the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery graduate programme. 

“I started medicine because I wanted to use it to volunteer abroad. When the war in Ukraine started, I could not help but think that I should be there helping. Watching people suffer every day on my phone and on TV, I couldn't stand it.”

Oran was already a qualified Emergency Medical Technician, but in 2023, he went to Denmark to undergo a special course in Combat Casualty Care training. 

“A few months later I found myself outside the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, evacuating injured soldiers before the city fell and delivering wood burning stoves to elderly villages with no running water or electricity when their houses had been destroyed.

“I'll never forget them crying and hugging us to thank us, they couldn't believe I had come all the way from Ireland.”

Oran returned to Ukraine in the summer of 2024, and carried out a third stint after completing his final exams in May of this year, where he was working with an NGO evacuating heavily injured soldiers from the frontlines. 

“I was based eight to twelve kilometres from the frontline. We lived in a bunker with a Ukrainian tank crew. We only worked at night because it was so dangerous. The tank crew would get a call and drive out to the ‘zero line’, the closest point of contact between opposing forces. We would meet them on their way back, drag the injured soldier from the tank and work on him until we got to the nearest stabilisation point, which was about 30 to 40 minutes away. 

“Because of the drones we were always in range of everything, suicide drones the size of cars hit civilian houses 300 meters away from where we were based, huge 1500 lbs glide bombs would hit down the field from us or take out the bridge we had just passed over, ballistic missiles and grad missiles would take out our local shops. 

“In 2023, I survived a cluster bomb strike that missed me by 200 meters. On my most recent trip two of our medical evacuation tanks had been destroyed.”

Despite constant threats, Oran’s medical training kept him grounded. 

“I used my medical training every day in some form, particularly the ability to problem solve in high pressure situations and by staying cool, calm and collected.”

Oran will soon start his internship year of medical practice, after which he hopes to begin a training scheme in emergency medicine. But, for now, his time in Ukraine has come to a close. 

“It was almost six months in total of some life-changing experiences and friends made. My humanitarian work is definitely not finished, there are so many other areas of the world that need help. For the sake of my family's nerves, I will leave it there!”

In closing, Oran extended a heartfelt thank you to all those who supported him throughout his studies. 

“If a degree deserved to be attributed to fifty names, it would be this one. I'd like to thank my family, who I would not have done it without, in particular my father and mother. As well as my grandfather who was my simulated patient for the four years - he is easily the most medically examined grandad in all of West Clare, if not County Clare! 

“I would also like to thank the Ukrainians I had the honour of working with, some of whom are no longer with us, for their teaching and inspiration,” Oran concluded.