220-Caribbean Paramedic with Marlon Flanders

This week, Aebhric O’Kelly welcomes Marlon Flanders, a paramedic from Trinidad and Tobago and MSc in Austere Critical Care student at CoROM.

After 13 years in ambulance services, Marlon has transitioned into offshore medicine, providing healthcare aboard oil and gas installations and deep-sea pipeline vessels in the Caribbean. He discusses the challenges of moving from urban emergency medical services into an environment where primary care, logistics, occupational health and evacuation planning become essential responsibilities.

The conversation explores the development of paramedicine in Trinidad and Tobago, including clinical scope of practice, international certification, advanced paramedic education and the challenges of maintaining consistent professional standards across national borders.

Marlon reflects on his experience completing the MSc in Austere Critical Care, including practical ultrasound training in Malta, and explains how postgraduate education has helped him adapt to the demands of remote healthcare.

Chapters

00:00 – Opening hook: Offshore versus urban paramedicine
00:15 – Welcome to CoROM Conversations
00:44 – Introducing Marlon Flanders
01:03 – Thirteen years in EMS and transitioning to offshore medicine
02:08 – Logistics and primary care aboard offshore installations
02:57 – How the MSc in Austere Critical Care supports offshore practice
03:26 – Practical ultrasound training in Malta
04:19 – Ultrasound and offshore evacuation decisions
05:13 – BOSIET, STCW and offshore safety training
06:04 – Paramedic education and registration in Trinidad and Tobago
06:38 – International certification and employment opportunities
07:33 – Professional registration and the International Paramedic Registry
08:30 – Flight and critical care paramedic certification
09:34 – Completing paramedic training in Trinidad and the United States
11:10 – Clinical autonomy and paramedic scope of practice
12:04 – Sedation, analgesia and multimodal pain management
12:41 – Ambulance transport times and rural healthcare access
13:52 – Helicopter medical evacuation between Trinidad and Tobago
14:33 – Trauma facilities and specialist hospital services
15:25 – Common medical and traumatic emergencies in Caribbean EMS
16:12 – Stroke recognition and barriers to timely thrombolysis
16:45 – Public education, bystander CPR and dispatcher-assisted resuscitation
17:53 – Opportunities to improve community emergency response
18:16 – MSc research into non-emergency ambulance utilisation
18:41 – Community paramedicine and advanced clinical practice
19:33 – Why Marlon chose the MSc in Austere Critical Care
20:22 – Reflections on postgraduate education and transitioning careers
21:34 – Diving medicine and further offshore medical qualifications
23:03 – Redesigning ambulance deployment across Trinidad and Tobago
24:05 – Future ambitions in Caribbean and international medicine
24:21 – Humanitarian medical opportunities in Haiti
25:17 – Preparing for healthcare delivery in challenging security environments
26:48 – Advice for clinicians entering austere medicine
27:00 – Persistence, adaptability and overcoming professional barriers
28:01 – Final reflections and closing remarks

• Paramedicine in Trinidad and Tobago

• Offshore medicine and occupational healthcare

• Transitioning from urban EMS to remote practice

• Primary care in resource-limited environments

• International paramedic registration and certification

• Advanced critical care education

• Point-of-care ultrasound

• Offshore medical evacuation and logistics

• Multimodal analgesia in prehospital care

• Stroke recognition and community CPR

• Non-emergency ambulance utilisation

• Community paramedicine

• Ambulance resource allocation

• Humanitarian medicine in Haiti

• International career development

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