A program for standardized training in rodent handling at a large academic institution.

In large, decentralized institutions, providing consistent training to the substantial numbers of rodent handlers can be a challenge. The author describes a program developed at her university to provide more uniform and consistent training to personnel working with lab rodents. In this program, every Principal Investigator with an active animal use application appoints a Laboratory Animal Coordinator, who, once fully trained and certified, is responsible for coordinating animal activities in the laboratory and for training other lab workers in proper rodent handling and animal welfare rules and regulations. The program has been successfully used to train thousands of animal users at the author's university.