UT Southwestern IACUC Policy                                                      IACUC  # 120

Approval Date:___7/5/06____                                                       1 of 1

Training Requirements

                                             
Rationale:

Federal law requires that all individuals who work with animals in research be familiar with the rules and regulations governing animal use.  These rules and regulations reflect the following concepts: humane methods of animal maintenance and experimentation, research methods that limit the utilization of animals and minimize animal distress, institutional procedures for reporting deficiencies in animal care and treatment, provision of services that can be used by personnel to acquire information on appropriate methods of animal care and use, and alternatives to the use of live animals in research.  Federal law also requires that an occupational health and safety program be a part of the overall animal care and use program.

Policy:

All new and existing personnel who work with research animals must be trained in the rules and regulations governing animal use and enrolled in the Worker Protection Program.

Applicability:

This policy applies to all new and existing personnel who work with research animals.

Instructions:

For New Personnel:

New personnel must complete: 1) the Worker Protection Program on-line health history questionnaire (requiring Mednet ID), and 2) the UT Southwestern Humane Animal Care and Use class or on-line web-based tutorial. Upon completion of these basic requirements, new personnel can be added to an IACUC-approved animal protocol. For more information, please go to the IACUC website located at: http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept41600/files/54634.html .

The IACUC will accept a certificate of completion of the Dallas Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC’s) online web-based class titled “Working with the VA IACUC” in lieu of the UT Southwestern Humane Animal Care and Use class.  This allowance applies only to those employees who also work at the Dallas VAMC. 

The Pathogen Control Class is required for all new personnel before badge access will be granted to an animal facility.

Depending on the nature of the animal experiments described in the IACUC-approved animal protocol, any of the following relevant training options will be required:

Additional requirements are as follows: 

• If the individual lacks specific experience with the animal species they will be using, the individual must either: 1) be trained by their Principal Investigator (PI) or senior lab member and have this training documented in lab records subject to inspection at any time by the UT Southwestern IACUC and additional regulatory bodies, or  2)  complete an ARC species-specific animal handling class (e.g. mouse, rat).

• If the individual lacks specific experience with Aseptic Survival Surgery in rodents and will be required to perform survival surgery on rodents, the individual must either: 1) be trained by their Principal Investigator (PI) or senior lab member and have this training documented in lab records subject to inspection at any time by the UT Southwestern IACUC and additional regulatory bodies, or  2)  complete an the ARC Aseptic Survival Surgery Class for Rodents.

• All individuals who plan to use rabbits at UT Southwestern are required to take a Rabbit Handling Class (regardless of prior experience).

• If an individual plans to be involved with animal work in the NG Building or Y2 Barrier, then an additional training class is also required before access will be granted into the NG facility or Y2 Barrier.

For Existing Personnel:

The UT Southwestern IACUC requires that existing personnel avail themselves of training to keep current with new procedures and practices involving animal care and use.  The IACUC office will verify that existing personnel have retaken the Humane Animal Care and Use Class or the on-line tutorial every 5 years.

If existing personnel change jobs and/or acquire duties that involve working with a new animal species or in a new animal facility, then they are required to: 1) complete additional species-specific training, 2) be added to the appropriate IACUC-approved animal protocol, 3) update their Worker Protection Program on-line medical health history questionnaire, and 4) attend the necessary animal facility training class.

Contact Information:

For any additional questions, please contact the IACUC Manager at 5-6420.