The University of Saskatchewan’s UACC Education and Training Program provides training components designed to meet the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) guidelines on: training of personnel working with animals in science (2015).

In order to work with animals in science at USask, individual animal users must complete both theoretical ethics training (available online) as well as hands-on practical skills training (face-to-face with a UACC instructor or delegate). 

Online Training

The UACC Animal Ethics Course covering the principles of ethics and animal welfare must be completed by all individuals listed on an animal use protocol before the UACC Animal Research Ethics Board (AREB) will approve the protocol.

Completion of one of the following courses is mandatory. Please select the course that most pertains to your work. Clicking on the name of the course below will take you to the registration page for that course.

**Graduate students using animals in their research, must register for the GSR 962: Ethics and Integrity in Animal Research course. Graduate students should register for this course via PAWS, similar to registration for other USask courses at the beginning of the academic term (to avoid any late registration fees). Graduate students must also then register for the UACC Animal Ethics Course through the link above or the Training and Development service in PAWS. At the end of each academic term, the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies confirms that students have successfully completed the UACC Animal Ethics Course. A pass/fail grade will then be recorded on the student’s transcript.**

Practical Skills Training

Clicking on the name of the course below will take you to the registration page for that course. Practical skills courses in aquatics, rodent handling, rodent anesthesia, and surgical skills have an online and an in-person component. Instructions on how to register for an in-person session are provided within the online material.

There are two streams available, depending on your research species.

Fish and other aquatic animals:

  • Aquatics
    • mandatory when working with aquatic species

Rodents (mouse and rat):

  • Rodent Handling
    • mandatory when working with rodents
    • MUST complete before any other rodent classes are attended
  • Rodent Anesthesia
    • mandatory when performing procedures under gas or injectable anesthetic
    • MUST complete Rodent Handling prior to attending this class
  • Rodent Surgical Skills
    • mandatory to receive access to the surgical suite at LASU (Health Sciences)
    • MUST complete Rodent Handling and Rodent Anesthesia prior to attending this class

Supplementary training in specific techniques, including injections, oral gavage, rodent euthanasia, and handling of large or less common animals can also be arranged with the UACC clinical veterinarians. Please email the UACC office (uacc.training@usask.ca) to request a training session.

If you have any questions regarding training, please email uacc.training@usask.ca. Help topics and frequently asked questions for common course registration problems are also available on the Training and Development service in PAWS.