Training

In accordance with the Animal Welfare Regulations, Public Health Service Policy, and as outlined in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, all personnel conducting research involving vertebrate animals at the University of California, Santa Barbara and its' satellite facilities must be appropriately trained and qualified to perform the procedures described in each protocol.

IACUC Training

This Researcher Training Checklist was created to assist faculty, staff, and students with completing their initial requisite training. Personnel must mail their Occupational Health and Safety Evaluation Forms directly to the Physician at Sansum (address on the form). The IACUC is no longer handling the delivery of OHS forms. Once all of the necessary training on the Checklist has been completed, personnel must email a copy of their signed Checklist to the IACUC Office and request to set up an appointment via Zoom to discuss the training. During this appointment, the IACUC Coordinator will provide additional training and instructions on completing the training process. Once personnel are approved for working with animals, they and their PI(s) will receive an email notification. Personnel must not begin working with animals until this notification has been received.

Following initial clearance for working with animals by the IACUC Office, animal users are required to complete Continuing Education to reinforce training and regulatory compliance. There are two separate seminars that are presented by the IACUC Chair to emphasize the importance of proper animal care and use. One seminar is for relatively new animal users, while the other is for personnel who have been working with animals. These are each usually offered twice a year, and dates can be found via the In-person Training link to the right. Additionally, every three years, personnel working with vertebrate animals must complete an online refresher training course offered through Citiprogram.org.

Animal Surgery Training

Any personnel who will be performing surgery on any vertebrate animal species must be appropriately trained and qualified. Initial training begins by observing a qualified surgical trainer conducting the surgical procedure. A qualified surgical trainer is someone who has successfully completed a surgical competency evaluation with the AV for that surgical procedure in that particular species. Once an animal user is sufficiently familiar with the surgical procedure, they may begin hands-on training under the direct supervision of the surgical trainer. These initial attempts at the procedure are often performed on recently euthanized animal cadavers to prevent any unnecessary pain or distress to the animals. Additionally, all potential surgeons MUST attend a Basic Aseptic Surgical Technique Seminar, presented by the Attending Veterinarian.

Once an animal user has become adept at performing the surgical procedure under direct supervision, they may contact the Attending Veterinarian for a surgical competency evaluation. If the Attending Veterinarian has deemed someone competent in a surgical technique for a particular species, they may conduct that surgery in that particular species without the direct supervision of the surgical trainer. If a qualified surgical trainer is not available, please contact the Attending Veterinarian (manuel.garcia@ucsb.edu) to see if he may be able to provide training.

• Animal Researcher Training Checklist
• Occupational Health and Safety Animal Exposure and Medical History Form
• Instructions for Using Citiprogram.org
• IACUC Training Requirements for Protocol Personnel
• Field Safety and Training from EH&S
• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Safety Notes
• UCSB Field Research Plan (Recommended for PIs)