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Necessary qualifications vary with one\u2019s duties. Principal investigators must have qualifications in conducting experimentation in their field of science, including literature search, experimental design, data collection and analysis. Animal care technicians\u2019 qualifications relate to observations for health, proper housing, proper feeds and feeding methods, animal identification, etc. Persons performing animal experimental surgery must have experience and training in the surgical procedures they are to perform, as well as pre-surgical preparation of the animal subject, anesthesia maintenance and monitoring, and postoperative care. Basically, anyone performing any aspect of animal experimentation or husbandry must be sufficiently trained or experienced in the techniques they will perform to assure the resultant welfare of the animals.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n <\/details>\n\n\n
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The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is legally required by Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations and Public Health Service (PHS) policy to determine that personnel are qualified to properly \u2014 humanely \u2014 perform animal-related duties conducted within the committee\u2019s purview. To this end, the Application for Vertebrate Animal Use (AVAU; protocol review form) requests information about relevant experience and training of all personnel who will have responsibility for animal experimental manipulations. In addition, the IACUC requires that principal investigators provide assurances that they, and personnel under their supervision, will be appropriately trained and qualified. The IACUC reviews the overall institutional program for establishing qualifications of research personnel and animal care staff during its semiannual review of animal care programs.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n <\/details>\n\n\n
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The program described below accomplishes a certain minimal component of the required qualification by providing instruction in certain topics specified in the AWA regulations, along with information specific to animal care and use at NC State. Completion of this program is required for all NC State personnel who work unsupervised with experimental animals \u2014 prior to performing such work and at least every three years thereafter. All such personnel should be listed on the protocol review form, where their training is described. Documented training and experience are generally not required for personnel who perform animal-related procedures only under the direct (i.e., physically present) supervision of a person who has such qualifications; the principal investigator\u2019s commitment to provide training, which is made in signing the protocol review form, generally is sufficient documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In some instances, the IACUC may require additional appropriate training sufficient to assure humane care and treatment of the animals. When describing personnel qualifications in your application for vertebrate animal use, it is appropriate to list any experimental animal training and experience. Over-qualification of personnel has never been an obstacle to protocol review. PIs are encouraged to maintain training records for each person under their supervision, such as the records required by the Good Laboratory Practice regulations of the Food and Drug Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n <\/details>\n\n\n
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All faculty, staff, students, facility managers, Principal Investigators, and visiting scholars\/personnel who use or work here at NC State with animals in research or teaching, including animal care, must document and maintain records of how personnel are trained. Our Animal Welfare Assurance with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) indicates that all Principal Investigators will ensure that personnel will receive appropriate training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentation for the training must be accurate and up-to-date. The training records should be available for review by the IACUC office and\/or IACUC members during semiannual site inspections. This will help to ensure proper training is being conducted as well as having a plan in place for training of inexperienced individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When creating the documentation, list the procedures in which individual(s) are trained; species; who provided the training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activities requiring training include, but are not limited to, the following<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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All personnel working with live animals under an IACUC protocol<\/a> must complete the OHS requirements under the OHS process link and sign up and complete the Working with the IACUC training<\/a> before approval of an IACUC submission.<\/p>\n\n\n