COMPETENCY AND PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT OF ANIMAL CARE TRAINING PROGRAMS IN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS

1. COMPETENCY AND PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT OF ANIMAL CARE TRAINING PROGRAMSIN ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS Elizabeth Dodemaide B.V.Sc., M.A. Associate Director, Laboratory Animal Services Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

2. Challenges in a Large Academic Institution Diversity of Research: Field Studies to Farm Animals to Cancer to Neuroscience

3. Challenges in a Large Academic Institution • Diversity of Researchers: • Professors • Post docs • Students • Graduate, Undergraduate, High School • Animal care staff • Cultural diversity

4. Challenges in a Large Academic Institution • Numerous facilities • Distance

5. How do we determine competency? • Adequate animal welfare • Research results • Non-compliant findings • Observation of technical and surgical procedures

6. How do we achieve competency? • Training • Orientation program • Hands-on training • Department/ lab meeting visits • Re-training

7. Responsibility for Training • IACUC delegates Laboratory Animal Services veterinarians to provide Orientation Training • Principal Investigators responsible for registering all individuals and ensuring training in protocol specific procedures • Protocol approval contingent on PI completing Orientation training

8. Orientation Programs Face-to-face • Negatives - Limited number of classes – PIs, students have class scheduling conflicts - Travel problems to location of class • Diverse group with very different needs

9. Orientation Programs Face-to face • Positives – Participants get to meet a veterinarian or other Lab Animal Services staff member • Able to ask questions • Able to meet and interact with other animal users

10. Orientation Programs Online • Negatives – Impersonal, don’t meet LAS staff - Can’t ask questions - Computer access necessary

11. Orientation Programs Online • Positives • Can be completed at any time • Modules provide more focused training

12. Hands-on Training • Species specific • Small groups Negative - Voluntary Positive - Trainer able to observe proficiency in techniques

13. Lab Visits • Focuses on lab needs • Dialogue often identifies areas for further training Result: • Improved compliance

14. Proficiency Assessment • Observation of surgeries and certain procedures • Often a condition of protocol approval Result: • Better animal welfare and compliance

15. Hazards • Individual SOP for each hazard • Tied to protocol approval • Training of animal care and investigator’s staff • Observation of first procedure with Health and Safety person – often done as dry run

16. Field Studies • Training & observation can be difficult • May require study specific occupational health/hazard training

17. Summary • Providing adequate training for all animal users is challenging • Good communication with PIs is vital • Need continual critical evaluation to update and improve programs

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