Training

Institutional Training for Animal Care and Use

It is the responsibility of Texas A&M to assure that all personnel involved in the care, treatment, and use of animals in research and teaching are qualified to perform their duties and are aware of regulations and requirements applicable to their work with animals. As part of the IACUC Animal Use Protocol (AUP) approval process, principal investigators must document the training and experience of their personnel. Additionally, the IACUC expects all animal program participants to complete the requirements outlined in TAMU-G-029 Guidelines for Animal Protocol Participation and Handling (requires NetID authentication).

Training/Enrollment Requirements

All animal program participants must complete training and enrollment relevant to their job or participation on an animal use protocol. Please note: Not all training listed below is required for every participant. See TAMU-G-029 for more information or contact the Animal Welfare Office staff at 979.845.1828 or animalcompliance@tamu.edu for assistance in determining training requirements and timeline for completion.

Basic required training/enrollment:

  1. Biosafety & Occupational Health Program (BOHP) enrollment
  2. CITI course: Working with the IACUC

Activity dependent training:

  1. CITI courses: (new requirement)
    1. Aseptic Surgery (may be replaced by IACUC authorized live training)
    2. Post-Procedural Care of Mice and Rats in Research: Minimizing Pain and Distress
    3. Species specific course(s)
  2. BOHP Animal Allergen Training (TrainTraq) (new requirement)
  3. Physical method of euthanasia without pre-sedation training/competency certification (new requirement)
  4. Retro-orbital blood collection training/competency certification (new requirement)
  5. Lab, facility, or PI specific training
  6. Other training as identified by the IACUC.

Timing of Training/Enrollment Completion for AUP Participation:

Basic training/enrollment must be completed before the AUP can be approved or individual participant can be listed on the AUP.

For new activity dependent training requirements (exclusive of lab, facility, or PI specific training and other training identified by the IACUC):

  • Individuals listed on approved AUPs as of July 1, 2020 have three years to complete training requirements listed in TAMU-G-029
  • Individuals must complete training requirements listed in TAMU-G-029 for all new AUP submissions as of January 1, 2021.

Registering for CITI Courses:

CITI is a web-based ethics-training site utilized by Texas A&M for those individuals involved in the animal care and use program. More detailed instructions on how to register for CITI courses is available in PDF format.

  • Go to www.citiprogram.org
  • Step 1: Select “Texas A&M University” as your participating institution.
  • Step 2: Your username and password are unique to you. Hint: Do not use your NetID and Password.
  • Step 3: Your preferred email must be the same email that is listed in iRIS. Your secondary email is optional and can be your private email account.
  • Step 4: You will not be receiving CME/CEU credits for the IACUC course.
  • Step 5: The CITI Lab Animal Welfare Course Curriculum. Please select applicable courses as indicated in TAMU-G-029:
    • Working with the IACUC
      • Activity dependent courses as applicable:
      • Post-Procedure Care of Mice and Rats in Research: Minimizing Pain and Distress
      • Aseptic Surgery
      • Species specific course(s)
  • Step 6: Once registration is complete, you will see the CITI main menu listing your enrolled courses. Enter each course to complete the required modules and exams. Note: Users must pass each required module with at least an 80% score to pass the course.

CMP Laboratory Animal Care and Use Training Program

The Comparative Medicine Program (CMP) Animal Care and Use Training Program at Texas A&M was established to help provide training, instruction, and information about laboratory animal care and use to teaching and research personnel. The program is available to Texas A&M and Texas A&M AgriLife faculty, instructors, scientists, technicians, graduate students, undergraduate students, and other personnel involved in animal care and use. Records of attendance and participation in training activities are maintained on an individual basis by the IACUC office and the attending veterinarian. Attendance at sessions offered by the Animal Care and Use Training Program should be listed on AUP forms when listing qualifications, training, and experience of personnel.

Learn More About CMP Training Opportunities

Other Training Links

Training Requirements for Research with Biohazards

Training Requirements for Research with Human Subjects

Training Workshops

Individual Training Sessions

Special Topic “Brown Bag” Seminars

CMP Animal Caretaker Training Program

AALAS Certification Preparatory Course

Texas A&M University EHS Training Page

Other Training Resources Links

Animals in Research and Teaching