Education

Continuing education Lab Animal Science Region Flanders

Continuing education Principles

Each user, breeder or supplier shall ensure that the employed elementary and special caretakers, active participants, and trial leaders keep their knowledge up to date. This requirement also applies to persons responsible for the killing of laboratory animals. In addition, proof of maintenance of knowledge must be shown when requested by the Flemish Animal Welfare Service (Dienst Dierenwelzijn, Departement Omgeving, Vlaamse Overheid).

Each staff member must, according to his or her position, have followed a predefined number of hours of continuing education spread over the previous three years.

Trial leaders and active participants follow at least 24 hours of continuing education initiatives per three years, of which at least 12 hours are obtained by participating in accredited training courses and possibly supplemented with extra hours that can be obtained through or during other activities, namely following internal training courses, the internal or external acquisition of skills, participating in seminars, workshops, or conferences with a clear animal-related focus, …

Elementary and special animal caretakers follow at least 12 hours of training every 3 years, whereby fully internally organized continuing education initiatives are possible.

More information can be found in the attached note.

BCLAS/VLIR Accreditation Continuing Education Lab Animal Science

In collaboration with VLIR, BCLAS and the Animal Welfare Service of the Flemish Government VLUHR KZ developed a detailed procedure for the accreditation of training initiatives in the context of continuous education in laboratory animal science. Such accredited initiatives are an important part of compulsory continuing education. In addition, the various actors want to strengthen the quality of these training courses and give laboratory animal science professionals recognition for the their professionalization activities.

To have your training initiative accredited, please complete this form application form and send it to dieter.cortvriendt@vluhr.be.  Your training initiative will then be assessed on its quality by an independent accreditation committee. The accreditation of a training initiative is valid for 6 years and is published on the BCLAS website.

• Procedure accreditation training initiative lab animal science
• Application form accreditation training initiative lab animal science

Overview of accredited education initiatives

1. Overview of de facto accredited education initiatives, such FELASA accredited courses and training organized by scientific or laboratory animal organizations such as BCLAS, FELASA, ETPLAS, …
   

   Date	Titel	Website or contact
   31/03/2022	Workshop Rodent Anesthesia & Analgesia	yraeves@its.jnj.com stephanie.devleeschauwer@kuleuven.be

   List of de facto accredited continuous education initiatives (last update 17/05/2022)

   1. ETPLAS e-learning modules
   2. BCLAS Webinars, workshop, trainings
   3. BCLAS Symposium
   4. FELASA Conferences
   5. AALAS Conferences
   6. AAALAC Conferences
   7. UFAW Conferences
   8. Education organized by IPV Diergeneeskunde* (UGent) (these lessons are approved by ‘Orde der Dierenartsen’), when the lessons have a clear lab animal- or animal experimentation-focus or can be applied in lab animal science *continuous education program for veterinarians
   9. Education organized by regional veterinary organizations, that is also approved by ‘Orde der Dierenartsen’, and when the lessons have a clear lab animal- or animal experimentation-focus or can be applied in lab animal science
   10. Webinars or events about lab animal science topics (e.g. severe suffering, refinement, replacement, …) organized by RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) or NAJBR (New Jersey Association for Biomedical Research)
   11. Trainings organized by other national lab animal science associations, that are member of FELASA, eg. DALAS, GV-SOLAS, AFSTAL, SECAL, etc
   12. Trainings organized by GIRCOR France
   13. Webinars and other trainings organized by ESLAV
   14. NC3Rs events
   15. Modules of FLAIRE learning
   16. Events organized by Fondazione Guido Bernardini 

       Additional interesting training initiatives, which could qualify for de facto accreditation, can be registered. The requester sends the accompanying information about the training or conferences and a short motivation for the application to kwaliteitszorg@vluhr.be

2. Overview of BCLAS/VLIR accredited education initiatives
   

   Date	Titel	Website or contact
   To be determined / on demand	Workshop on Severity Assessment of animal experiments (21-001 KU Leuven)	stephanie.devleeschauwer@kuleuven.be
   14/12/2021	Webinar on Harm-Benefit analysis (21-002 KU Leuven)	Erna.Dewil@kuleuven.be