Training personnel

1.0 Introduction

This document has been written to give guidance to institutions regarding the need to provide training for personnel involved in the care and use of animals for scientific purposes including, researchers, teachers and technical support staff.

Recognising that the skills and knowledge of those involved are essential to achieve high standards of animal welfare and scientific outcomes, courses for people using animals in research and teaching have been developed by organisations such as the Canadian Council for Animal Care [1], the National Research Council in the United States [2] and the European Communities Biologists Association [3]. In the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, there are compulsory detailed courses for animal researchers [4,5,6].

The Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (2004) highlights the responsibilities of individual researchers, who must have an appreciation of the ethical and technical issues involved with their use of animals. Researchers must use the best available scientific techniques and be competent in the procedures they perform (clause 1.18); the Animal Ethics Committee must be satisfied that those involved in each project have the qualifications and experience appropriate to the species being used and the procedures to be performed [clause 2.2.16(iii)].

In a discussion on the uses of animals in teaching (Section 6), the Code requires that where students are involved in the use of animals as part of their professional training, curricula in the academic discipline should include material on the ethical, social and scientific issues involved in such use of animals (clause 6.1.3). It is also a requirement of the Code that persons supervising students must ensure that, prior to using animals, the students receive appropriate instruction in the appropriate methods of animal handling and care and the students must have demonstrated that they are capable of performing necessary tasks with care and competence before commencing work with animals (clause 6.2.2).

The Code also states that institutions should ensure that animal care staff are appropriately trained and skilled [clause 2.1.1 (xiv)]. In many cases these staff will have attended or be attending appropriate training through TAFE courses. However, animal care staff would benefit from attending ‘in house’ courses to familiarise themselves with institutional policies and to assist in relevant continuing education. In addition, there will be circumstances where other staff are involved in animal care and some level of instruction may be appropriate.

2.0 Course content

Courses should be designed to meet the particular needs of researchers, teachers and animal care staff in the institution and the scope, detail and content of courses offered should reflect the particular needs and responsibilities of each. Training should be provided for students, teachers, research assistants or animal care staff who have not previously received such training and for current researchers who have not worked in a particular area before. With constant advances in techniques and development of new methods, refresher courses also will assist experienced staff.

Courses can be designed in a modular format with some compulsory core modules complemented by optional modules designed to give training in more specialised areas, or with certain species of animals. It is desirable that training is completed by a researcher before undertaking any animal handling, and preferably before designing research or teaching activities.

Topics that should be covered in a core module for researchers and teachers include:

• the moral and ethical issues associated with the use of animals by humans
• legislative and institutional requirements governing the use of animals
• responsibilities of researchers and teachers
• principles of experimental design including justification, replacement, reduction and refinement
• alternatives to the use of animals in research and teaching
• steps in applying for AEC approval
• an introduction to the principles of animal care, including housing and handling
• monitoring animal wellbeing including recognition and alleviation of pain and distress
• the role of animal care staff, including veterinarians
• record keeping and reporting
• procurement and disposal of animals
• occupational health and safety
• information and resources

Optional modules should be tailored to the particular institutional and researcher/teacher needs but could cover:

• common procedures such as administration of substances, blood collection, euthanasia and autopsy
• surgical techniques
• anaesthesia and pain management including the use of tranquillisers, anaesthetics and analgesics
• techniques used in wildlife research
• species-specific modules for animal care and use

Courses for animal care staff would be based on elements of the above and have a practical focus. Research assistants may not have to be directly responsible for submitting applications to AECs but they should have a general knowledge of the principles involved and the scope and level of their responsibilities.

3.0 Delivery

The mode of delivery should be chosen to suit the module and the learning needs of the target audience. The theoretical content of the core modules would be suited to an interactive workshop(s) with notes provided to cover basic concepts. Topics which should be covered in workshops include preparation of an application to the AEC, how to monitor and record animal wellbeing and strategies to minimise and monitor the impact of procedures. Additionally, it is important that students have an opportunity to discuss the ethical and legal issues involved.

Practical sessions should be scheduled as required and, as much as possible, be focused on the needs of individual participants which may be species and procedure specific. In the presentation of practical sessions, it is important to carefully match any use of animals to specific learning outcomes and to consider the use of non-animal alternatives for the purposes of demonstration or for students to practise the skills required to perform specific tasks. As in any educational activity involving the use of animals, the key questions are:

• What are the educational objectives of a particular teaching activity?
• Can the educational objectives be achieved without the use of animals?
• Is the learning experience relevant to the desired learning outcomes? [7]

Practical sessions delivered as part of a formal course structure will introduce students to the principles which they need to be aware of in performing specific tasks and should enable them to become comfortable and confident with handling animals. However, for students to acquire the level of skill necessary to perform specific procedures, a mentor program is strongly recommended.

A list of resources which could be used to assist in the delivery of such courses is listed below.

4.0 Assessment and evaluation

Institutions may consider ways in which they can assess whether or not the students have achieved the learning outcomes of a particular course or course component. Some form of assessment would provide useful feedback to the students. Student evaluation of course content and delivery also should be considered to ensure that the course is relevant to student needs.

References

1. Canadian Council on Animal Care (1999) Recommended Syllabus for an Institutional Animal User Training Program. Available from the Canadian Council on Animal Care website.
2. Committee on Educational Programs in Laboratory Animal Science (1991) Education and Training in the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals: A Guide for Developing Institutional Programs. National Academy Press, Washington DC.
3. van Emden HM., de Cock Buning Tj., Lopes da Silva FH Eds. (1988) Competence of Biologists for Experiments on Animals. Publication No. 8 of the European Biologists Association.
4. Education and Training of Personnel under the Animals (Scientific procedures) Act 1986. Appendix F. Home Office, London: HMSO.
5. van Zutphen B., Blom HJM (2000) Education and training on the Three R’s: requirements and implementation. In Ball M., van Zeller AM., Halder ME Eds. Progress in the Reduction, Refinement and Replacement of Animal Experimentation. Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam pp: 1375-1382
6. FELASA (1995) Recommendations on the education and training of persons working with laboratory animals. Laboratory Animals 24: 121-131.
7. Animals and Alternatives in Education –Towards Best Practice (1997) Notes from workshops held by the Animal Research Review Panel, Animal Welfare Unit, NSW Agriculture.