Training Program Recognition

The goal of training program recognition is to improve the quality and consistency of laboratory animal medicine training programs and to strengthen their ability to prepare trainees for the ACLAM examination and careers in laboratory animal medicine. Training program directors must submit the information requested in the Training Program Description Outline (below) every 3 years, and provide annual updates describing changes in their programs.

Training Program Standards
Training programs participating in the recognition process assess their programs using these standards. The assessment reports are reviewed by the ACLAM Training Program Oversight Committee, which subsequently recommends programs to the Board of Directors (BOD) for official recognition.

1. Programs must have at least one affiliated Diplomate per three residents in the program, and an ACLAM Diplomate must provide oversight of the program for at least 24 months of the program. The faculty must, in the aggregate, possess competency in all requirements for credentialing.
2. The institution or affiliation of institutions that comprise the training program must provide the majority of the training components. If some elements of the training program will be provided at other institutions or venues (such as externships or short courses), there must be a mechanism to ensure the content and quality of these activities.
3. Training programs must reside in institutions that are committed to the humane care and use of animals. This institutional commitment must include AAALAC International accreditation or a CCAC Certificate of Good Animal Practice for a majority of the biomedical research programs that support the training effort.
4. Trainees must complete at least 24 months of formal training in laboratory animal medicine, and the training program must provide documentation of satisfactory completion of the training program (such as certification of residency or a graduate degree).
5. The training program must provide the knowledge to safely and effectively perform the tasks of a laboratory animal medicine specialist. This knowledge, which is outlined in the ACLAM RDD, will be conveyed by a combination of didactic instruction, supervised experience in the practice of laboratory animal medicine, and a mentored research project.

• The training program must include a didactic component consisting of seminars or courses with at least 200 hours of direct faculty involvement during the course of the training program.
• The training program must include at least 2000 hours of supervised experience in the practice of laboratory animal medicine. Experience should involve rodents, rabbits, primates, and other species that fairly represent the current practice of laboratory animal medicine, and must include participation in the following: disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention; clinical and diagnostic pathology; administration of the institutional animal care and use program; interaction with investigators; and animal resource management.
• The training program must ensure that each trainee has had a mentored research experience that involves the application of the scientific method to a basic or clinical research project. Experience should include experimental design; data collection, management, and analysis; searching and critical review of the literature; and manuscript preparation. The extent of trainee effort spent on research may vary among trainees, based on their prior research experience, and among training programs. However, the training program must provide sufficient time and support for each trainee to complete a manuscript suitable for satisfaction of the credentialing requirement.

6. Training programs that do not meet the standards set forth above may be considered for recognition by appeal to the BOD.

Training Program Description Outline
These standards are used by the ACLAM Training Program Recognition Committee and the BOD as a basis for assessing and recognizing laboratory animal training programs.

Faculty

• Provide the name of the training program and the name and contact information of the program director.
• List the Diplomate and non-Diplomate faculty who will be involved with the training program, and list relevant qualifications for their role in the program.
• Indicate the number of residents that will be in training at any one time.

Institutional Information

• List the sponsoring institution(s) where training will be provided, and briefly describe the research, teaching, and testing programs involving animals. If some elements of the training program will be provided at other institutions or venues, describe the mechanism to ensure the content and quality of these activities.
• Provide a brief description of the animal resources that will be used to provide training. Include an overview of animal facilities, and current animal census and annual usage data by species.

Assurance of Humane Animal Care and Use

• Provide the AAALAC or CCAC status of all training sites.
• Describe the institutional system(s) of oversight and accountability for animal resources used to support the training effort that are not accredited by AAALAC or recognized by CCAC.

Training Program Objectives

• List or describe the objectives of the training program.
• Summarize the key components of the training program. Include the duration of training and how satisfactory completion of training is documented.
• Using the ACLAM Role Delineation Document (RDD) as a guide, critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the training program and describe how weaknesses will be addressed.

Didactic Training

• Describe the didactic training provided to residents, including information on course instructors and formats, and describe how the required 200 contact hours are provided. Provide course syllabi where applicable, or a listing of the subject matter covered.

Supervised Practice of Laboratory Animal Medicine

• Describe the supervised practice of laboratory animal medicine, including information on the species covered, personnel providing training, the specific components of the experience (see Standard 5.b), and the approximate number of hours trainees spend on these activities.

Mentored Research Experience

• Describe the mentored research experience, including how mentors and research projects are selected, how credentialing requirements will be met, and the approximate percent effort or hours trainees spend on these activities. Funds for such research experience may be available through the ACLAM Foundation.