NC State IACUC Standard on Required Training for Working with IACUC Covered Animals

Standard

All personnel that work with or have contact with animals involved in research, testing, or teaching are required to have training. Personnel should not be allowed to work independently with animals until training has been confirmed and signed off. Training must be documented for all manipulations and procedures that will be performed by the individual. This documentation should include how the individual was trained (reviewed SOP’s, hands-on, etc.), the date that proficiency was determined, and the trainer who confirmed proficiency. Principal Investigators (PIs) are responsible for having accurate and up to date training records.

Personnel on a Protocol

All personnel must be listed on a protocol if they are working with animals used for research or teaching/training. This includes research technicians, students, or outside investigators. Students working with animals as a part of a course are not included as protocol personnel.  Personnel can be added during original approval or via amendment. If the amendment or protocol is pending then the personnel is not allowed to work with the animals associated with the protocol. Approval will not be granted until personnel have completed the following requirements:

• “Working with the IACUC” – Online module through CITI Program. IACUC administrative staff will assign the individual through Reporter upon protocol or amendment submission.
• Animal Contact Program – Occupational health surveillance program. This is to ensure safety of all personnel working with animals.
• Species-specific module through CITI as applicable.

Training documents should line up with the procedures that an individual is approved for on the protocol. For example, if a person has been trained on euthanasia and they perform it then that procedure must be listed on their personnel section of the protocol as well as their training documentation. During semi-annual inspections the IACUC team should be able to easily identify what lab members are performing specific procedures.

Facility/Unit Staff

All staff working directly with animal care, including volunteer students, are held to the same requirements as personnel on a protocol. Facility/unit staff are not required to be listed on a protocol. There is one additional training requirement for staff:

• “Role of the University Attending Veterinarian (UAV) and Required Reporting” – Contains information on how to report animal health concerns. Individual facilities may have their own reporting structure for how the information reaches the UAV.

Documentation

Documentation should include: The procedure or manipulation, date proficiency is reached, and trainer signature. The trainer signature may be from the institutional trainer, the PI, or other verified trainers within the lab or facility.

Procedures that should be listed on the training document may include, but not limited to:

• Animal handling/restraint
  • Must be appropriate for the species. Haltering, scruffing, etc.
• Colony management
  • Pairing animals, understand protocol approved breeding scheme
  • Weaning animals
  • Sex identification
  • Genotyping: ear notching, tail snips, toe clips, etc.
  • Identification: ear tagging, tattooing, etc.
• Injections
  • Intravenous (IV), intraperitoneal (IP), subcutaneous (SQ), intramuscular (IM), intradermal (ID), intraarterial (IA), oral gavage, etc.
• Sampling
  • Blood collections: venipuncture, facial bleeds, exsanguination
  • Genotyping: see above under colony management
  • Other invasive or technique focused samples: Joint fluid, saliva, fecal collection, fin clippings, semen collection, etc.
• Procedures
  • Anesthesia monitoring
  • Aseptic technique
  • Surgery: Either lead or assistant
• Euthanasia
  • Primary and secondary method

References

• The Guide for the Care of Use of Laboratory Animals