AVS Training

Training and First Time User Information

The Animal Welfare Regulations and Public Health Service Policy require all personnel involved with the care and use of animals must be adequately educated, trained, and/or qualified in basic principles of laboratory animal sciences to help ensure high-quality science and animal well-being; and that all training of Program personnel should be documented. (Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8th edition and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA, Animal Welfare 9 CFR)

Step Requirements for Everyone Who Uses Vertebrate Animals for Research, Teaching, or Testing

1. ​Take all prerequisite training.

  1. CITI on-line (See CITI Training Information below)
  2. Classroom
  3. Mentor protocol-specific

2. Register for training for Occupational Health and Safety Education (Required before a person will be approved on protocol or given access to a vivarium).

3. Request for Veterinary Care (PIs with new protocols). Fill out the IACUC Policy 15 Form, and submit to wongmich@hawaii.edu.

4. Complete and submit Topaz Online IACUC form.

 

Additional Requirements for People Who Use the AVS Vivaria

5. Request Animal Holding Space in one of the two Biomedical Vivaria (Required for Principal Investigator before he or she and his or her personnel can become authorized to use a vivarium; PI can delegate responsibility for completing the form to a designee; PI must have an approved protocol)

6. Fill out and submit an AVS Security Access Request Form (Required for each person on a protocol who will need access to a vivarium). Each person will be registered for Online Vivarium training, and hands-on training will be scheduled.
Contact the appropriate Environmental Health and Safety Office for lab safety education (Required before a person will be approved for vivarium access)

  1. EHSO for Mānoa
  2. EHSO for JABSOM

7. Contact [ORC Biosafety Program] for biosafety education. (Required before a person will be approved for access to a vivarium)

8. To learn about hands-on training requirements, read the IACUC Policy on Documentation of Training in Biomedical Research Techniques. (updated Policy)

9. Optional basic lecture and hands-on 1-hour laboratory course on rodent handling, restraint, injections, blood collection, sexing, and breeding.

  1. Please contact Lisa Sato at lisaho@hawaii.edu to sign up.

Protocol-specific Instruction

The Principal Investigator is responsible for providing education on the specific procedures described in the IACUC-approved protocol and other education that promotes best research practices and safety. All such instruction and learning must be documented and available to the IACUC for review. Examples of protocol-specific instruction includes euthanasia procedures, survival surgery, ear tagging or notching, and genotyping.

 

CITI Training Information

CITI On-line Instruction

CITI Online Training (initial and refresher training every 3 years required). The following training is available from CITI Online Training:

  • Investigators, Staff and Students Basic Course (for all users)
  • Species Specific Course (for each species used on the user’s IACUC protocols)
  • Aseptic Surgery Course (for all users performing survival surgery)

Register on the CITI website. Select “University of Hawai‘i Courses”. Take the courses suggested below. Questions regarding CITI training should be directed to CITI on their website.

CITI Basic Course For All Users:

  • If you are new to UH or a non-UH person who will be participating in a UH IACUC protocol, then you must take the CITI course entitled: “Investigators, staff, and students (UH)” before beginning any work with animals or entering an animal facility.
  • If it has been at least 3-years since completing the basic CITI course listed above, then you must take the CITI course entitled: “Refresher Course for investigators conducting research with laboratory animals-Refresher Course”

CITI Species-specific Courses:

  • If you are working with amphibians, you must take the CITI course entitled: “Working with Amphibians in Research Settings”
  • If you are working with beef cattle, then you must take the CITI course entitled: Working with Beef Cattle in Agricultural”
  • If you are working with marine mammals, you must take the CITI course entitled “Working with Marine Mammals”
  • If you are working with mice, you must take the CITI course entitled; “Working with Mice in Research” and the CITI course entitled ” Reducing Pain and Distress in Laboratory Mice and Rats”
  • If you are working with rats, you must take the CITI course entitled: “Working with Rats in Research Settings” and the CITI course entitled ” Reducing Pain and Distress in Laboratory Mice and Rats”

CITI Aseptic Survival Surgery Course:

If you will be performing or assisting in survival surgery no matter on what animal species, you must take the CITI course entitled: “Aseptic surgery”