Where do I get a form?
You can get a form from our main office or from our web site at Special
Care Instruction Form.
Why do I need a SCI?
The SCI is designed to be a way for investigative personnel to
communicate with ARC personnel. We have an obligation to provide
feed and water to all animals everyday. That is our default activity.
If experiments require special feed, water, or cage changing, the
change must be clearly communicated to the veterinarians, husbandry
managers, and husbandry technicians. When instructions are properly
communicated, mistakes are much less likely to happen. The SCI ensures
that everyone on the animal care team gets a chance to review the
SCI before it goes into effect. Without a SCI we will always try
to care for the animals by providing fresh water and feed and a
clean cage.
What is meant by special care?
Special care is any deviation from normal husbandry procedures.
Changes in normal watering, feeding or cage changing should be included
on the SCI form. If animal carcasses need to be saved or if investigators
need to be informed immediately when animals are found dead, a SCI
form should be used to document these instructions.
Where do I submit the form?
After you complete the form, it should be delivered to the ARC
main office in room TB03A. It will be distributed from there to
the veterinarian and to the husbandry manager. The form should not be given to the husbandry technician in the room or be left
in the animal room without approval. Husbandry technicians are instructed
to direct investigative personnel to their supervisor with all requests
for special care. You may also submit the form by pressing the Send
button at the bottom of the form. You will be contacted before the
SCI goes into effect. If you do not hear from us, be sure to contact
our main office to confirm that we have received the form.
Where are the completed forms kept?
A copy of the form is kept on file in the ARC office and a copy
is placed in the Animal Husbandry Data Book in the animal room.
The form is always available in the room. Husbandry technicians
who are new to a room or are filling in for an absent coworker are
instructed to look in the Animal Husbandry Data Book before they
begin work to find out if there are any SCI forms in the room. The
form is also used by team leaders on the weekends to determine how
animals are care for.
Once I have a SCI in place, how do I mark the cages so that
husbandry technicians know to apply special care to animals in the
cage?
The cages should be marked with a colored label that matches the Special Care Instruction Form. The technician in the room matches the label with the instructions to ensure that animals receive proper care.
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