Introducing the Global Brigades Institute Vitals Course: Prepare Before You Step Into the Clinic

We’re excited to announce the launch of our first Pre-Brigade Vitals Course through Global Brigades Institute.

While on Brigade, volunteers rotate through multiple stations within our mobile medical clinics, gaining hands-on exposure to patient care in real time. From taking vitals during triage to shadowing physicians during consultations or supporting pharmacists as they review medications, each station offers meaningful learning opportunities.

This course is designed to ensure you arrive prepared, confident, and ready to contribute.

During your Brigade, you may:

• Take vital signs and conduct patient intake during triage
• Shadow physicians during consultations and ask questions in real time
• Assist pharmacists while learning about common medications and prescriptions

These experiences build both hard skills—such as measuring blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and oxygen saturation—and essential soft skills, including patient communication, teamwork, and culturally responsive care.

The Vitals Course is a self-paced, 10-module program that walks you through proper techniques step by step. You’ll learn not only how to take accurate measurements, but how to interpret results and recognize when to flag concerns for supervising providers.

Course modules also include:

• How to read a malaria test
• When a pulse oximetry reading requires follow-up
• Symptoms of dengue, chikungunya, and other common regional diagnoses
• How perceptions of height and weight can vary across cultures
• Basic medical phrases in the local language

By completing the course before departure, volunteers arrive better equipped to support clinic flow, provide high-quality patient care, and maximize every learning opportunity.

Upon completion, participants receive a Certificate to document their achievement and showcase their preparation on LinkedIn and beyond.