Required Animal Care and Use Training

IACUC Training

The Animal Welfare Act and PHS Policy require training and evaluation of competency for all personnel working with animals. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals further requires that “ all research groups should receive training in animal care and use legislation, IACUC function, ethics of animal use and the concepts of the Three Rs, methods for reporting concerns about animal use, occupational health and safety issues pertaining to animal use, animal handling, aseptic surgical technique, anesthesia and analgesia, euthanasia, and other subjects, as required by statute.” (pp 15-17)

Required Courses

The Texas State IACUC utilizes an online resource, the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative CITI, a non-profit training organization, for the required training. All animal users are required to take two courses, Working with the IACUC and the Texas State University Occupational Health and Safety Program.

Optional Courses

You may also choose to take courses specific to the research or animal model through CITI. Courses are offered for wildlife research, fish, cattle, sheep and goats, and amphibians. While these courses are not mandated by the IACUC, your Principal Investigator may assign them, or you may choose to take them as background material prior to beginning a research project.

CITI Instructions

If you have used CITI previously and have valid login credentials, you may simply sign in and affiliate with Texas State.

CITI Program You may then choose the courses you need to take. Instructions to add courses are here.

If you have not previously used CITI you must register.

Click the link above to go to the website. Select register.

Citi Program

You will be asked to affiliate with the institution. You may choose Texas State University or the Texas State University SSO option. If you select the SSO option, you will sign in using your TXST NetID credentials. Otherwise you will create a username and password for the site.

 

Citi Program
You may then add courses as described here.

Expand FAQ List

  • Texas State uses the CITI program for training, but we may accept proof of current (within 2 years) training from a comparable source or from another institution, if it meets the requirements set forth in the federal regulation. If you have proof of training (CITI or other) from another institution, it may be attached to the animal use protocol or emailed to mer226@txstate.edu

  • The basic course of training on use of animal subjects and working with the IACUC is required of all personnel every 3 years. In the case of a change in regulations or some other event that substantively impacts research with animals, researchers may be required to take an update sooner.