Training Policy and Schedule

Training is a requirement for everyone working with live vertebrate animals at the University of Connecticut in accordance with the policies and guidelines set forth in the "Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" (PHS 1986), the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" (ILAR 1996), the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (CFR 1985) and the "Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching."

First Year Training

The University's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) requires that all faculty, staff and students who work with live vertebrate animals attend an initial classroom training session. This will provide an overview of federal, state and University regulations, policies and procedures as well as general information related to the care and use of animals at the University. Pre-registration is not required. Sessions begin promptly. Attendance is recorded.

The following IACUC initial classroom training dates have been scheduled:


  • Wednesday, August 6, 2008
    12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    Whetten Graduate Center, Room 200

  • Tuesday, August 26, 2008
    5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
    Ratcliffe Hicks Classroom 201

  • Wednesday, September 3, 2008
    12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    Whetten Graduate Center, Room 200

  • Thursday, October 2, 2008
    12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    Whetten Graduate Center, Room 200

  • Wednesday, November 5, 2008
    12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    Whetten Graduate Center, Room 200

  • Wednesday, December 3, 2008
    12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
    Whetten Graduate Center, Room 200

Additional dates may be scheduled in order to try to accommodate people who cannot attend one of the days noted above. Please contact Dr. Daniel Schwartz (phone: 486-2497, email: daniel.schwartz@uconn.edu) if you need to schedule an alternate date.

Retraining After the First Year

The IACUC requires annual retraining for all animal users. Approaching a year after the initial classroom training session, animal users must complete one of the following retraining options in order to receive approval for continued animal use:

Retraining Option 1:

Completion of the web-based exam on the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) website (see instructions below) that has been customized for the University of Connecticut-Storrs entitled “UConn IACUC, A Review.” The course takes approximately 1 ½-2 hours to complete.

Retraining Option 2:

Completion of any of the full-length web-based exams on the CITI website (see instructions below). Depending on the course one selects, it may take approximately 3-6 to complete. Please note that completion of any of the web-based courses can be spread over a period of time. They do not have to be completed in a single session. Currently, the course modules available include:

  • Working with the IACUC
  • Essentials for IACUC Members
  • Post-Procedure Care of Mice and Rats in Research
  • Working with Amphibians in Research Settings
  • Working with Mice in Research Settings
  • Working with Rats in Research Settings
  • Working with Gerbils in Research Settings
  • Working with Hamsters in Research Settings
  • Working with Guinea Pigs in Research Settings
  • Working with Rabbits in Research Settings
  • Working with Cats in Research Settings
  • Working with Dogs in Research Settings
  • Working with Swine in Research Settings
  • Working with Non-Human Primates in Research Settings

Retraining Option 3:

Documented attendance at the in-house classroom session offered by the Biological Health & Safety section of Environmental Health & Safety. The sessions are presented by William Field, B.S., a Biological Specialist responsible for animal projects. This training is designed for laboratory personnel who work with research animals. Topics include principles/concepts of biosafety, agent classes and safety levels, engineering controls, personal protection equipment, work practices, biological agent use and transport information and biological waste management issues. The session lasts approximately 2 hrs.

Retraining Option 4:

Documented repeat attendance at the in-house classroom session presented by Dr. Daniel Schwartz, D.V.M. The session lasts approximately 1 ½ hrs.

Retraining Option 5:

Documented attendance at any special seminar session that may be specifically offered by the Office of Research Compliance or Office of Animal Research Services in the future to fulfill this training requirement.

Retraining Option 6:

Documented attendance at a training session offered by a recognized scientific society or organization that addresses animal use in research and/or animal welfare concerns. Please consult with the Office of Research Compliance in advance to determine whether the session you would like to attend meets this retraining requirement.

Citi Website Instructions:

If you have taken a training course/exam on the VA website previously. If previously you have taken any training course and exam on the former Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of R&D website, you should already be registered in the CITI system. To access the courses and exams on the CITI site, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the following link: www.citiprogram.org
  2. Log on with your username and password (the same as those used to access the VA website previously.
  3. This will bring you to the "Update Name and Email" page. After completing, click on the "submit" button.
  4. This will bring you to the Learner's Menu page.
  5. Scroll down to "Update my profile information". Please complete the requested fields. After completing, click on the "submit" button.
  6. This will bring you back to the Learner's Menu page.
  7. Scroll down to "Your enrollment with this institution is incomplete. Click here to complete your enrollment."
  8. This will bring you to the Select Groups page.
  9. Scroll down to "course selection" and select "Lab Animal Training Requirements".
  10. Answer question #2 by selecting the "Working with the IACUC Course" and any species-specific course(s) listed in order to fulfill your annual retraining requirement. Press continue.
  11. This will bring you to the Completion Report Groups page.
  12. Scroll to the bottom and select "Go back to Learner's Main Menu."
  13. Under "My courses", you will see the course(s) that you must take to fulfill your annual retraining requirement. The link (Enter or Re-Enter) will permit you to Begin/Continue the Course. You must complete all modules associated with the course(s).
  14. When you complete all required modules successfully, you may print your completion report through the link: "Print" in the Learners menu. In addition, a copy of the completion report will be sent to the IACUC office.
  15. If you have forgotten your username and/or password or have a problem accessing the CITI training site, please contact Arlene Jacobsen, IACUC Coordinator, for assistance (486-4110; arlene.jacobsen@uconn.edu).
  16. In the future, once your email address has been updated, you can obtain your username or password by clicking on the "Forgot Username or Password?" link, which is adjacent to the login area. This utility emails you your username and password.

If you have not taken a training course/exam on the VA website previously. If this is the first time you are taking a web-based training course/exam to fulfill your yearly animal user training requirement and you have not used the former VA website for this purpose previously, you must register as a user of the site. Please follow these steps to access the courses and exams on the CITI site:

  1. Click on the following link: www.citiprogram.org
  2. Click on "Register Here".
  3. This will bring you to the Select your Institution page.
  4. Click on "participating institutions" and select the University of Connecticut Storrs/Regional Campuses. Click on the "submit" button.
  5. Click on the box labeled "username" and type in a user name.
  6. Click on the box labeled "password" and type in a password.
  7. Click on the box labeled "verify password" and type in the same password. Click on the "submit" button.
  8. This will bring you to the Name and Email Address page. Fill out all fields. Click on the "submit" button.
  9. This will bring you to the Member Information page. Please enter the requested fields. Click on the "submit" button.
  10. This will bring you to the Select Groups page.
  11. Scroll down to "course selection" and select "Lab Animal Training Requirements."
  12. Answer question #2 by selecting the "Working with the IACUC Course" and any species-specific course listed in order to fulfill your annual retraining requirement. Press continue.
  13. This will bring you to Completion Report Groups page.
  14. Scroll to the bottom and select "Go back to Learner's Main Menu."
  15. You will see the course(s) that you must take to fulfill your annual retraining requirement. The link (Enter or Re-Enter) will permit you to Begin/Continue the Course. You must complete all modules associated with the course(s).
  16. When you complete all required modules successfully, you may print your completion report through the link: "Print" in the Learners menu. In addition, a copy of the completion report will be sent to the IACUC office.
  17. If you have forgotten your username and/or password or have a problem accessing the CITI training site, please contact Arlene Jacobsen, IACUC Coordinator, for assistance (486-4110; arlene.jacobsen@uconn.edu).
  18. In the future, once your email address has been updated, you can obtain your username or password by clicking on the "Forgot Username or Password?" link, which is adjacent to the login area. This utility emails you your username and password.

Completion of the annual training/retraining requirement is a prerequisite for continued participation in and approval/renewal of all animal use protocols. Successful completion of any one exam will suffice to meet the annual retraining requirement. Animal users can fulfill the annual retraining requirement by taking (or retaking) any CITI web exam or by submitting documentation of participation in an alternative training event such as attendance at a meeting or lecture dealing with animal welfare.

Updated 02/14/08