AEC Training

Mandatory Animal Ethics Training

All staff and students who plan to work with animals at JCU must have completed training in animal ethics. Free training can be completed online through the ANZCCART ComPass training site. You will need evidence of training before you can begin to work with animals. Once completed, forward your certificate of completion to ethics@jcu.edu.au.

There are several training modules offering training in a number of areas and activities:

1. Core Mandatory Training for AEC Members and Animal Users
2. Competency Training in Certain Activities:
   • Aseptic Technique
   • Minimally Invasive Techniques Without Anaesthesia, Including Wildlife Trapping
   • Anaesthesia for Minor Procedures
   • Anaesthesia for Major Procedures
   • Surgery Principles, Methods and Materials
   • Performing a Systematic Post-Mortem Examination
   • Establishing and Managing a Rodent Breeding Colony
   • Maximising Welfare and Behavioural Assessment in Research Animals
3. Technical Skills Training Guides and Resources

• Training Materials for Minimally Invasive Procedures in Research Animals
• Training Materials for Performing Aseptic Technique, Surgical Skills, Suturing and Euthanasia Methods

Only the module 1, the 7 core modules are mandatory, but we strongly recommend that you undertake other modules, as they relate to your research projects. Once you’ve completed the training you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion that you will need to present to the AEC before your application can be approved. This is best done by:

1. Request access to the Organisation 'Animal Welfare' in LearnJCU (which also has a considerable collection of SOPs for use in ethics applications);
2. Login to the 'Animal Welfare' Organisation, and click on the 'ComPass Animal Ethics Training' in the left-hand side bar;
3. Upload the ComPass Certificate of Completion into the system.

OR

1. Email your ComPass Certificate of Completion to ethics@jcu.edu.au

Exemptions or Recognition of Prior Training

If you feel that you have had training at another institution, or have through your research career gained sufficient knowledge in animal ethics, you can apply for an exemption. Please email ethics@jcu.edu.au and outline why you feel you should be given an exemption or provide evidence from another Australian institution that you've completed training elsewhere.