Mandatory Requirements for Working with Animals

The IACUC requires that all new personnel go through the following steps before they can be granted access to the ARC facilities:

  1. A Primary investigator must add you to his/her protocol.
  2. You must take a facility tour. The schedule for Borwell tours is here. To schedule a Vail or Moore tour, please contact Vail (650-1595) or Moore (646-2784).
  3. You must complete the Animal Contact form. The IACUC Office must enable you in the BioRaft system before you can complete the form. Please contact the IACUC Office or call 650-7131 to be enabled. Once you have been enabled, you will receive an email prompting you to go to the site and complete the form.
  4. All new personnel must complete the following CITI web based training (see information below concerning CITI training):
    • "Working with the IACUC" for Investigator, Students and Staff

Additional Requirements for Working with Rats or Mice

  1. All new personnel must complete the following CITI course if using mice:
    • "Working with Mice in Research Settings"
    If using rats, one must complete the CITI course:
    • "Working with Rats in Research Settings"
  2. You must take the Rodent Handling and Procedures Course. This basic introductory course includes hands-on training in rodent handling/restraint, injections, tagging/identification, and humane euthanasia. Please call the Veterinary Technical staff at 650-7528 or 650-7762 for the schedule.
  3. If you plan to conduct studies that have the potential to cause "more than momentary pain and distress" in mice or rats you must complete the CITI course:
    • "Post-Procedure Care of Rats and Mice in Research: Reducing Pain and Distress"
  4. If you will be working in the ABSL2 area, you will need to complete ABSL2 Area Procedure Training. Please contact the Veterinary Technical staff at 650-7528 or 650-7762 to fulfill this requirement.

Question: I'm going to be working with mice. My job will include performing surgery, as well as maintaining a breeding colony. What CITI courses do I need to complete?

Answer: You will need to complete four courses: "Working with the IACUC", "Working with Mice in Research Settings", "Post-Procedure Care of Rats and Mice in Research: Reducing Pain and Distress" and "Aseptic Surgery, Basic Course".

Question: I'm going to be doing only behavioral studies with both rats and mice. What CITI courses do I need?

Answer: You will need to complete "Working with the IACUC", "Working with Mice in Research Settings", and "Working with Rats in Research Settings".

Question: My job is to maintain a mouse breeding colony. I will be tagging and tailing and euthanizing some mice. What CITI courses do I need?

Answer: You will need to complete "Working with the IACUC" and "Working with Mice in Research Settings".

Additional Requirements for Working with USDA-Covered Species

  1. You must complete the CITI course for the appropriate species:
    • "Working with Hamsters 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 Nonhuman Primates in Research Settings"
  2. You must complete the USDA-Covered Species Paperwork Training.
    Prerequisite: Completion of the species specific CITI training referenced above. Please contact the Veterinary Technical staff at 650-7528 or 650-7762 to schedule this training.

Additional Requirements for Working with Amphibians

You must complete the CITI course:

Additional Requirements for Performing Animal Surgery

If you conduct major survival surgery or non-survival surgeries, you must complete the CITI course:

If you have any questions as to what courses you are required to complete, please contact the IACUC Office for assistance.

Information Concerning CITI Courses

CITI is a well-respected, web-based training product that is designed around topic-specific modules. Each module is followed by a short quiz. "Working with the IACUC" will take approximately 3-4 hours to complete, while each specialized species or model specific course will take approximately 45-60 minutes to complete. (These time estimates are for persons that have not previously worked with research animals.) Please note that the courses do not have to be completed in one sitting. CITI is user-friendly and available any time, any day.

These courses are one-time requirements.

To Access the CITI training web site:

  1. Go to www.citiprogram.org
  2. Click on "New Users: Register Here"
  3. Click on "Participating Institutions"
  4. Choose "Dartmouth College"
  5. Create Username
  6. Create Password
  7. Verify Password
  8. Answer remaining six questions
  9. Click "Submit"
  10. Answer questions 1-3
  11. On question 4: Click next to ALL species that apply.
  12. Click "Continue"
  13. The "Learner's Menu" will come up and allow you to take the requisite training courses.
  14. Print the course "Curriculum Completion Report" when you are finished, as a record for your training file. (You do not need to forward any information to the IACUC office, as they receive an automated e-mail when courses are completed.)
  15. If you have any problems, please view these instructions.