Training in the care and use of animals is a vital component of UNC Asheville’s Animal Care Program and is required under a variety of regulations and guidelines. UNC Asheville uses an independent, web-based program (CITI – Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) for the initial training for animal researchers,. Additional hands on training may be required for your work.
Mandatory Training for All Research Personnel
At a minimum, all animal researchers must complete the “Working with the IACUC” course. This training is valid for three years, at which point you will be reminded to complete the refresher course.
- Visit the CITI Homepage (https://www.citiprogram.org/)
- Select the “Register” button under “Create an Account”
- Search for the “University of North Carolina at Asheville” as your Participating Institution and continue the registration process
- When prompted to select a curriculum, select “Working with the IACUC” course in Question 6. (For Questions 1-5 select “Not at this time”.) IF you have been instructed to refresh your training, select the “Working with the IACUC – Refresher Course”
- The Learner Menu will then display the course. Click “Enter” to begin. You do not have to finish all modules at one time; CITI saves your scores each time you submit answers so you can log out and resume later
Researchers may also be required to complete elective modules based on their research. For example, if the project involves working with fish in the field, researchers may be required to take the following:
- Working with Fish in Research
- Wildlife Research
When an individual selects UNC Asheville as their participating institution during registration, their course completion history is automatically accessible to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) for verification. You may also save a copy of your completion letter for your own records. If research personnel have completed the CITI modules while working at another institution, the user can add UNC Asheville as an affiliated institution which will give ORSP access to their records.
Environmental Health and Safety Training Requirements
Depending on the nature of your project, you may be required to complete additional training as part of UNC Asheville’s Environmental Health and Safety Program for animal researchers. For example, if applicable you may be required to take the Laboratory Safety, Laboratory Sharps Safety, or Chemical Hygiene courses. You will notified by Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) staff of any additional requirements after you submit the appropriate forms (website) for specialized training and clearance. EH&S staff will review and determine the appropriate course of action for each request.
General Information
The UNC Asheville’s Animal Care Program relies on performance based standards to assess procedures and techniques as well as competence of personnel. Although important, successful completion of the web-based course may not be sufficient to maintain access to animal facilities and permission to use animals in research or teaching. These privileges may be revoked if you cannot demonstrate basic knowledge or understanding of the material covered in IACUC training.