e u r o p e a n • c o l l e g e • o f • l a b o r a t o r y • a n i m a l • m e d i c i n e

TRAINING PROGRAMME GUIDELINES

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

The Constitution of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine has established the following requirements for active Diplomate status:

Article V.

Section 1. The following prerequisites must be met to the satisfaction of the Council before any candidate is eligible to undertake any Board Examination in Laboratory Animal Medicine. An eligible candidate must:

a. have a satisfactory moral and ethical standing in relation to the practice of veterinary medicine.

b. be qualified to practice veterinary medicine in Europe, unless relieved from this requirement in exceptional cases by the Council of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.

c. complete at least 4 years of training and experience in Laboratory Animal Medicine, subsequent to graduation from veterinary school that is acceptable to the Council. Acceptable means a training programme of at least two years that is directed by a Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine;

d. if either the supervisor is not a Diplomate or the programme does not provide training in Laboratory Animal Medicine as one of its primary functions, then 6 years of training in Laboratory Animal Medicine are required. One of these 6 years must be spent in training under the supervision of a Diplomate or in a programme that trains Laboratory Animal Medicine as one of its primary functions;

e. have been the first author of two original articles which demonstrate application of scientific methods on subjects that are relevant to Laboratory Animal Medicine. The article must have been published or accepted for publication in a peer reviewed journal.

f. be active in laboratory animal medicine for at least 50% of their normal working week.

Section 3. Eligible candidates will be examined by an Examining Committee appointed by the Council at the time and place fixed by the Council and in accordance with the policy established by the Council.

Article IV

Section 4. All diplomates are required to maintain active in laboratory animal medicine, maintain certification by continuing education in a form determined by the Council, and maintain active in the affairs of the College, particularly by regular attendance at meetings.

ECLAM TRAINING PROGRAMME GUIDELINES

Introduction

The purpose of the training programme guidelines is to define the training requirement if a formal training programme, as described in Article V, section 1, c, of the constitution is followed: "complete at least 4 years of training and experience in Laboratory Animal Medicine, subsequent to graduation from veterinary school that is acceptable to the Council. Acceptable means a training programme of at least two years that is directed by a Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine".

Definitions

Training programme: A training programme recognised by ECLAM council of at least two years duration.

Resident: The graduate veterinarian undergoing an ECLAM recognised training programme of at least two years duration.

Programme Director. A Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine who is responsible for the supervision of Residents.

Resident Advisor: The ECLAM diplomate supervising the programme may enlist the help of other individual(s) (the 'Resident Advisor(s)') at the parent or other institutions. The qualifications of Resident Advisor(s) will vary with the subject area to be covered.

Requirements for a training programme

The ECLAM has established a process to recognise formal training programmes in laboratory animal medicine. Recognition as a formal Training Programme means that individuals successfully completing the programme can satisfy the "training and experience" requirement (as required in Article V, section 1, c, of the constitution) to sit for the ECLAM certifying examination with a total of 4 years training and experience, where at least two years is in a Training Programme directed by a Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Otherwise, 6 years of relevant experience is necessary to meet this requirement, these are described below as the ECLAM Alternate Training Programme guidelines.

Training Programmes participating in the recognition process assess their programmes using the set of Training Programme Minimal Standards found on the following pages. The assessment reports are reviewed by the ECLAM Training Programme Committee which subsequently recommends programmes to the ECLAM council for official recognition.

ECLAM Training Programme Minimal Standards

1. The sponsoring institution must provide the name of the Training Programme, the Name, Address, Email, Phone and Fax numbers of the Programme Director and a curriculum vitae for any Resident Advisors.

2. The institution or affiliation of institutions that comprise the resources included in the training program must provide all the minimum training components described in the following standards.

3. Trainees must complete at least two years (twenty-four months) of formal training in laboratory animal medicine.

4. A description of the programme should be provided by the Programme Director which includes specific areas of training emphasis. The description should be in sufficient detail to ensure the broad remit of Laboratory Animal Medicine as fully detailed in the Introduction to the ECLAM constitution is covered:

Laboratory Animal Medicine is that speciality of veterinary medicine which deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease in animals used in biomedical research. Its major tasks are to:

• Prevention, diagnosis, control and treatment of diseases of laboratory animals including health monitoring and the impact of microorganisms on research
• Prevention and alleviation of animal pain and distress
• Provision of research services (eg. pre- and post-operative care, critical care, anaesthesia and analgesia, euthanasia)
• Provision of research support (eg. animal research techniques) and information (eg. comparative and normative biology, nomenclature)
• Training of scientific, animal care and ancillary staff
• Development and management of animal husbandry programmes (including genetic management)
• Design and operation of laboratory animal facilities
• Impact of the physical and social environment of laboratory animals
• Consultation and advice on compliance with laws, regulations and standards. This must include relevant European Union Directives and Council of Europe Conventions together with detailed knowledge of one or more sets of national regulations
• Provision of opportunities for designing and conducting research projects within the broad field of laboratory animal medicine
• Preparation of animal use protocols and participation in their review
• Contribution to the humane use of animals in biomedical research together with the search for alternatives.

• to prevent, diagnose, control and treat disease
• to prevent, alleviate and minimize pain and distress
• legal responsibilities, such as for drug prescribing and control, animal health,
• animal care responsibilities within European Union Directives and Council of Europe Conventions

The Training Programme must provide documentation of satisfactory completion of the Training Programme. This documentation must be presentation as originals and be signed by both the Programme Director and a senior administrative office of the Institution hosting the Training Programme.

5. An ECLAM Diplomate must serve as Programme Director of an ECLAM Training Programme for individuals using this route to certification. The ECLAM requires that programmes have at least one ECLAM Diplomate per three Residents in the Programme. Oversight must be provided by an ECLAM Diplomate for at least two years of the Programme. Additionally, Diplomate and non-Diplomate faculty must, in the aggregate, possess competency in all the diverse requirements of these Minimal Standards.

6. Recognising the publication requirement for acceptance into the examination, the Training Programme should describe how it contributes to the Resident being the first author of two original articles which demonstrate application of scientific methods on subjects that are relevant to Laboratory Animal Medicine. These articles must have been published or accepted for publication in a peer reviewed journal. It recognised that one or both of these articles may be prepared outside the part of the Training Programme directly supervised by the ECLAM Diplomate, but usually the supervised Training Programme will provide significant support to meet the publication requirement for admission to examination.

7. The biomedical research programmes supporting the training effort should be described by the Programme Director. The objective is to allow ECLAM to ensure that the broad remit of Laboratory Animal Medicine is covered and suitable facilities are available for training Residents. If the programme is reviewed or accredited by a body acceptable to ECLAM a copy of the material produced for that body may be acceptable. Examples of such bodies would be:

• Association for the Assessment and Accrediation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC)
• Implementation of ISO 9002 for animal research facilities

The material supplied should be specific for; the animal care and use programme, the facilities available, the veterinary programme in place, and the training facilities present. Specifically details of training materials, library, journals availability and access to electronic media must be provided.

It is important to note that the ECLAM Training Committee remains free to decide how and if programme descriptions and formats from third parties are used.

8. The Training Programme must include a didactic component consisting of seminars and/or courses covering all the areas described in the requirements for a Training Programme #4 in this document.

Minimally, the didactic programme will consist of at least 200 hours of involvement during the course of the Training Programme, usually performed by the faculty at the host institution. Other institutions may be accepted to provide training. Whatever the source of training the Programme Director is responsible for providing a full description.

9. Training must include supervised experience in the practice of laboratory animal medicine. This should include clinical experience (which must include diagnosis, treatment, prevention and clinical and diagnostic pathology) with species which fairly represent the current practice of laboratory animal medicine. Statutory statistics on animal species and numbers used for experimental purposes as required by European Law will be used as guide. The supervised experience should also include participation in the administration of the institutions animal care and use program including interaction with investigators and any animal care and use committees or similar bodies.

10. Training must include a research component which involves the application of the scientific method as applied to a basic or clinical research project. The trainee may fulfil this requirement either through the conduct of an independent, original project or as a collaborator working with an established investigator. This project may contribute the publication requirement for admission to examination.

Acceptable training to complete at least 4 years of training and experience in Laboratory Animal Medicine.

Article V, section 1, c, of the constitution states the training requirement for formal training program: "complete at least 4 years of training and experience in Laboratory Animal Medicine, subsequent to graduation from veterinary school that is acceptable to the Council. Acceptable means a training programme of at least two years that is directed by a Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine". Therefore as stated two years minimum of a Training Programme directed by a Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine is required. This Training Programme may be longer than two years. However as a total of four years experience is required, the applicant for acceptance to the qualifying examination is required to show this has been completed. For any period of training outside the ECLAM recognised training programme the applicant for acceptance to the qualifying examination must submit a training record and letters of reference from institutions hosting training and experience, as described below. The ECLAM will appoint a Diplomate of the European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine to act as a resident advisor for any period of training outside the ECLAM recognised Training Programme. This resident advisor should obtain quarterly written evaluation reports from the candidates current supervisor, and send a final written report on the period of training outside the ECLAM recognised training programme, plus copies of the quarterly evaluations, to ECLAM.

Administration of the training programme

The Programme Director is responsible for:

• Providing facility, animal care and use and training programme information to the ECLAM Training Committee. For new programmes information must be submitted by July 1st, to allow a decision of approval, disapproval, or approval with modifications by November 1st each year.
• Providing an update of facility, animal care and use and training programme information to the ECLAM Training Committee on July 1st of each year, or more frequently if the changes might significantly affect the approval status of the Training Programme.
• Clearly communicating the current approval status of the Training Programme to Residents and potential Residents.
• Liaison with Resident Advisors.
• The conduct of the overall Training Programme.
• Directing the Resident to ensure the requirements of the Training Programme are met.
• Meeting formally with the Resident to evaluate progress at least twice a year.

• Providing annually by November 1st a current comprehensive curriculum vitae to the Programme Director.
• Maintain throughout the four years of training and experience in laboratory animal medicine that are submitted for approval to the ECLAM a training record.
• This record shall include:
• The start and finish date of any training, didactic training, courses, presentations, meeting attendance and all other training activities.
• A description of the competency obtained by the training activity.
• The method of assessment of the competency if applicable.
• The name, date, signature of the assessor, senior institutional official or the Programme Director.
• Electronic training records are acceptable if:
• The system is robustly validated such that changes can only be made without concealing previous data.
• One printed copy is provided for acceptance to the qualifying examination with each page signed by the Programme Director for training within a Training Programme and a senior official at other institutions.
• Training records used as part of an Institution's normal business are acceptable if they meet the above criteria
• Consulting with the ECLAM to ensure training outside a Training Programme will be acceptable toward the fours years training and experience requirement if approved. The ECLAM will agree to the appointment of a resident advisor for any period of training outside the ECLAM recognised Training Programme
• Submitting the training record to ECLAM as required, and at least annually during the Training Programme to the Programme Director, is required.

• Evaluation of Training Programmes by November 1st of each year. The Board will review the recommendations and, in the event of minor discrepancies, will communicate with the Programme Director in order to make a final decision by March 1st of the following year.
• Evaluation of completion of training and experience for candidates for acceptance to the qualifying examination.
• Advice to potential Diplomates on training and experience.
• Appointment of a Resident Advisor for any period of training outside the ECLAM recognised Training Programme. The Resident Advisor should obtain quarterly written evaluation reports from the candidates current supervisor, and send a final written report on the period of training outside the ECLAM recognised Training Programme, plus copies of quarterly evaluations, to ECLAM.
• Communication of acceptance and deficiencies of Training Programmes to Programme Directors.
• Maintaining a list of approved Training Programmes and making this list available as required.

The purpose of the Alternate Training Programme guidelines is to define the training requirement if a formal Training Programme, as described in Article V, section 1, c, of the constitution has not been followed.

The requirements for this Alternate Training Programme are defined in Article V, section 1., d of the constitution: " if either the supervisor is not a Diplomate or the programme does not provide training in Laboratory Animal Medicine as one of its primary functions, then 6 years of training in Laboratory Animal Medicine are required. One of these 6 years must be spent in training under the supervision of a Diplomate or in a programme that trains Laboratory Animal Medicine as one of its primary functions."

The purpose of the Alternate Training Programme is to recognise that Residency Training Programmes may not always be accessible within a reasonable timescale for individual candidates. Applicants for acceptance to the qualifying examination must however appreciate the longer timescale of this training, the amount of material they will be required to obtain to present to the Credentials Committee, and the time taken to review this material.

Overall standards for recognition of an Alternate Training Programme

The six years experience in laboratory animal medicine is comprised of both a time and quality component. It is defined as the direct performance and/or participation in activities that characterise laboratory animal medicine as described in the Introduction in the ECLAM constitution. Qualifying experience need not include all these activities, but engaging in only one or two of the activities may not be considered as qualifying, and areas not covered by experience must be covered by training activities, which may include a reasonable proportion of self study where appropriate. Non-laboratory animal professional experience (private veterinary practice, meat inspector, teaching non-laboratory animal medicine subjects, etc.), is given experience credit on the basis of one month laboratory animal medicine experience for every 6 months of non-laboratory animal medicine professional experience. However, no more than 12 months credit can be given. The remaining five years must be full time laboratory animal medicine experience.

Experience credit will be given for graduate or post-veterinary medical degree research programmes (other than formal laboratory animal medicine programmes), but these must include the use of animals. Credit will be given on the basis of one month credit for each two months of the programme up to a maximum of 24 months credit.

Experience outside Europe will be considered.

All times for training and experience are calculated up to time application of review by the Credentials Committee.

Aplication for Certification of Training Programmes

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