Student and Faculty Responsibilities

Student Responsibilities

All first-year IDP students, regardless of whether or not they intend to work with animals, are required to attend an Animal Awareness Seminar as part of their orientation to biomedical research (Friday, August 17, 2007).  If you will definitely not be in contact with animals during your rotations, then attendance at the Animal Awareness Seminar is all you need to do.  If you will come into contact with animals during your rotation research, additional training is required.  The training schedule has been developed to be compliant with current IACUC and ACS training requirements.  Please note that there may be some restrictions on the types of animal research that IDP students can participate in during rotations.  

Animal training must be completed by the student PRIOR TO the beginning of the lab rotation involving animal contact.  Copies of all forms, training certificates, e-mail confirmations of completed training, etc. must be turned in to the Office of Graduate Education.  Record of all animal training will be maintained with each student's academic records in the Office of Graduate Education, which will then provide the PI's with the training information required for them to add the rotation student to relevant IACUC protocol(s) by addendum for each specific rotation period (see Faculty Responsibilities below).  

The training for animal research during rotations requires IDP students to complete the following tasks. 

(1)  Pick up a "Health Risk Assessment Form" for the EH&S Animal Contact Program from Susan Gardner in the Office of Graduate Education (R1-102), or print from the web (PDF document).  Complete the form and obtain Dr. McCormack's signature as your supervisor.   Submit the completed form to the Occupational Medicine office at the Student Health Care Center (basement annex, Team C).  You may fax copies to 392-5078 with the originals mailed to "OCCMED, SHCC, Box 117500", or delivered the same day.  Fees for the health risk assessment and any required vaccines/screenings during your first two semesters will be paid by the COM Office of Graduate Education.  You must notify Susan Gardner in the Office of Graduate Education at least 3 business days in advance of any SHCC visit so that we can arrange payment for you.

(2)  Follow the instructions at the IACUC Training web page to register for on-line training at the AALAS web site. 

(3)  Within the AALAS web site, complete the on-line course(s) "Working with the UF IACUC (Lab Animals)" and/or "Working with the UF IACUC (Agriculture & Wildlife)", depending on the relevant species you will be working with.  Take and pass the on-line exam(s). 

(4)  Complete on-line Laboratory Animal Training Association (LATA) modules relevant to the species and/or techniques for the lab rotation animal contact rotation.  Available species modules include rat, mouse, hamster, guinea pig, rabbit, dog, cat, non-human primate, swine, and fish.  Available techniques modules include "Aseptic Surgery of Rodents" and "Anesthesia and Analgesia of Rodents".  
In order for your LATA training results to be recognized electronically by IACUC, you must use the following log-in information when prompted: 
Username = uf        Password = care
Your individual record will be stored by first and last name.  Please contact the IACUC office if you need assistance. 

(5)  In order to access animal facilities, complete the ACS Online Tutorial & Exam (Blackboard Course) that is appropriate for each animal facility you need access to.  After completion of the auto-tutorial, you must meet with an ACS supervisor for a facility practicum/tour, which can be scheduled by calling the ACS front office at 392-2977.  After the facility practicum/tour, you may request facility access by submitting a "Request for Access to Animal Facilities Form" to ACS.  The current version of this form may be found at the "ACCESS TO FACILITIES FORM" link of the ACS Forms web page.  

Please be sure to print out copies of all forms, training certificates, e-mail confirmations of completed training, and turn them in to Susan Gardner in the Office of Graduate Education (R1-102).  We will keep them in your student file so they are available for later rotations and for your mentor when you join a lab.

*Please note that Steps 1-3 constitute the minimal additional training for observation of procedures and limited animal contact (e.g. handling of animals under Category 1).  Participation in other procedures (e.g. Category 2) requires additional training as outlined below.  (What are the Categories?)  Step 4 is required in order to enter animal facilities.  

(6)  During your rotation you must learn lab-specific protocols pertaining to animals and procedures/methods from the PI or senior lab members, i.e. postdoctoral fellows or lab managers only.  Graduate students are not allowed to train new graduate students.
 

Faculty Responsibilities

(1)  The PI directing each lab rotation involving animal contact is responsible for submitting an addendum to each of their relevant IACUC protocols, preferably at least a week before the rotation period begins.  Please use the form called "ADDENDUM – Change in Project Personnel" to temporarily add IDP rotation students to your protocol(s).  The current version of this form may be found at the "Changing Personnel" link of the IACUC Forms web page.  Administrative approval of IACUC addenda (expected to take ~3 business days) must be obtained before animal contact and/or entry to animal facilities is allowed during the rotation.  
     Please specify the role of the student as "IDP Rotation Student" and indicate the begin & end dates of the rotation:  first rotation 10/6/08 - 12/12/08;  second rotation 1/6/09 - 2/23/09;  and third rotation 2/23/09 - 4/17/09.  Under the section of the form called "Training and experience with this species and these procedures", you should list the animal species to be used, their USDA pain/distress/stress classification status, a brief description of the animal contact and/or IACUC-approved lab-specific procedures in which the rotation student will be involved, the training the student has already completed (the Office of Graduate Education can provide you with a list of the training completed by the student), and any additional training the student will receive during the rotation.  

(2)  Please note that training for lab-specific protocols and methods pertaining to animals must be conducted by the PI or senior lab members, i.e. postdoctoral fellows or lab managers only.  Graduate students are not allowed to train new graduate students.

(3)  Please note the restrictions on the types of animal research that IDP students can participate in during rotations.   

(4)  Once a student has committed to a mentor's laboratory, he or she must be added to the personnel list of the PI's appropriate protocol(s) by addendum and complete any additional training modules that might be relevant at that time.

Last updated on 8-14-08   wtm