As part of the review of a proposed study describing use of animals, the IACUC evaluates the training and experience of investigators and research staff who work with animals.
The 2011 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals issued by the National Research Council stipulates that all training should be documented and that all research groups should receive training in animal care and use legislation, IACUC function, ethics of animal use and the concepts of the Three Rs, methods for reporting concerns about animal use, occupational health and safety issues pertaining to animal use, animal handling, aseptic surgical technique, anesthesia and analgesia, euthanasia, and other subjects, as required by statute.
All study team members must have current training in order to receive protocol approval from the USF IACUC.
To obtain an AALAS Learning Library account, which is required to access the AALAS course, send an e-mail to IACUC@research.usf.edu, requesting the establishment of an AALAS Learning Library (ALL) account. Please include your full name and your complete email address with the request for your ALL account.
Once you have completed the AALAS training module, you must save a copy of your certificate of completion for future reference.
James A. Haley VA Hospital Employee Training Requirements
All research staff (VA and non-VA) participating in animal projects at the James A. Haley VA Hospital (JAHVA) animal facility, and all VA employees (including WOC) who use VA resources as part of and IACUC proposal, must complete the web-based training modules listed below. This training requirement includes all research technicians and investigators at the JAHVA.
Training is required prior to approval of all animal protocols. Training is required biennially thereafter. The training is available from the (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website located at www.citiprogram.org
"Working with the VA IACUC" ...This module must be completed by all VA research staff that use animals.
The second training required is the module associated with the species of research animal that is being used. If more than one species is being used by a research team, then more than one species module will have to be completed (by each member of the team), e.g., "Introduction to Mice" and "Introduction to Rats."
JAHVA CITI training is acceptable in lieu of the USF ALL course.
IACUC-Required Survival Surgical Training
Principal Investigators proposing survival rodent aseptic surgical procedures and research personnel intending to contribute to the implementations of such procedures must provide the IACUC with a certificate of completion for the AALAS Learning Library (ALL) course entitled “Aseptic Technique in Rodent Survival Surgical Procedures” and for wet lab training in such procedures, prior to IACUC protocol approval.
The wet lab is offered by Comparative Medicine at regularly scheduled intervals. The wet lab is attended after completing the AALAS Learning Library Module.
This new IACUC Principle VIII.9 is reflected in a new item 17.1.2a in the IACUC protocol application, which requires that the Principal Investigator (PI) and personnel that will serve as surgeons conducting survival aseptic surgical procedures in rodents be identified and certified as trained.
