Laboratory animal medicine — Needs and opportunities for Canadian veterinarians

Abstract

Laboratory animal medicine is a growing field of veterinary practice that emphasizes animal welfare and refinement of research animal care. The Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine/L’association canadienne de la medecine des animaux de laboratoire (CALAM/ACMAL) and the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) provide a framework within which laboratory animal veterinarians practise. Numerous continuing education and post-graduate training opportunities exist in Canada for veterinarians interested in pursuing this specialty.

Introduction

The use of animals as experimental models will continue to be an essential tool in the immediate future, permitting innovative and increasingly molecular discoveries of basic science to be translated into improvements in health care for humans and animals alike. The laboratory animal veterinarian plays a critical role on behalf of society and the research community by overseeing and helping to safeguard the use of animals in research. In terms of societal expectations, the laboratory animal veterinarian works to promote animal welfare by ensuring that experimental protocols maximize animal well-being and minimize pain and distress. On behalf of the research community, laboratory animal veterinarians must ensure that healthy animals are procured and maintained to produce reliable research results. The veterinarian also assists the research team in developing relevant models for study and to seek refinement, reduction, and replacement alternatives for animal use.

Factors such as public concern regarding animal welfare and increased regulatory scrutiny of research animal use, along with the rapidly expanding use of genetically engineered mice as research tools, have increased the need for veterinarians with expertise in laboratory animal medicine in all sectors of employment including academia, government, regulatory affairs, and industry in Canada.

What is laboratory animal medicine?

Laboratory animal medicine is an exciting discipline that encompasses many fields that relate to the use of animals in research, teaching, and testing, including ethology, welfare, biology, biosafety, genetics, physiology, regulatory affairs, toxicology, animal model development, pathology, diagnostics, husbandry, experimental design, education and training, anesthesia, medicine, and surgery. Laboratory animal medicine is the 3rd oldest veterinary specialty in North America, receiving specialty board status recognition from the American Board of Veterinary Specialities in 1958.

Veterinarians with appropriate research training and experience in laboratory animal medicine make important contributions to comparative medicine and biomedical science in Canada and elsewhere. In 2007, both the American Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association resolved to enhance collaboration between human and veterinary scientists to fully realize the potential of comparative medicine to benefit human and animal health (1,2). Some laboratory animal veterinarians fill roles as program directors of animal research facilities while others working in this field have particular expertise in areas such as regulatory oversight of research, comparative medicine and pathology, applied research, teaching, administration and facility design, experimental surgery and therapeutics, animal ethology and welfare, and animal physiology. These examples serve to emphasize the wide spectrum of expertise and roles of veterinarians working in laboratory animal medicine. Because laboratory animal veterinarians have a wealth of experience in dealing with welfare-based approaches concerning animal use, they also tend to lend their expertise to other fields of veterinary practice, such as serving on provincial association animal welfare committees, developing codes of practice for various animal sectors, assisting with development of animal euthanasia guidelines, and working with humane societies in delivery of humane care to stray animals.

Laboratory animal medicine represents a relatively small sector of specialists working either part-time or full-time within the Canadian veterinary profession, with approximately 1% of Canada’s veterinarians working in this field. Concern for an inadequate supply of trained specialists in laboratory animal medicine has existed for many years in North America. Although a 1997 study suggested an adequate supply of laboratory animal veterinarians through the year 2005, actual experience has shown a growing shortage of trained individuals within the field (3–5). This critical shortage has been recognized by the National Academies in the United States (6), as well as the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (7), with both organizations resolving to increase awareness and training opportunities for veterinarians in this field. In Canada, because of the increased complexity of the research environment and increased institutional oversight of research animal care and use, the need for skilled laboratory animal veterinarians is also urgent, with increasing numbers of positions being advertised nationally for veterinarians, ranging from 8 in 2002 to 18 in 2007 (Turner PV, unpublished).

A professional association devoted to laboratory animal medicine in Canada — CALAM/ACMAL

The national professional organization for veterinarians working in laboratory animal medicine in Canada is the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Medicine/L’association canadienne de la médecine des animaux de laboratoire (CALAM/ACMAL, http://www.calam-acmal.org). Founded in 1982, the association’s mission is to advise interested parties on all matters pertaining to laboratory animal medicine, to further the education of its members, and to promote ethics and professionalism in the field. The CALAM/ACMAL is an affiliate member of the CVMA with representation on the CVMA’s Animal Welfare Committee.

The association is committed to the provision of high standards of veterinary care for all animals used in science. The CALAM/ACMAL firmly supports the ethical principles embodied in the “Three Rs” tenet of Russell and Burch (8): Reduction of the number of animals to the minimum required to yield a valid result; Refinement of procedures to ensure best practices and yield valid scientific information; and Replacement of experimental animals with nonsentient alternatives or animals of lower sentience. The work and responsibilities of laboratory animal veterinarians are defined in the CALAM/ACMAL Standards of Veterinary Care document. This document was recently revised to reflect the increasingly complex nature of the requirements for providing high standards of veterinary care to all animals used in science (9). CALAM/ACMAL joins other North American veterinary organizations such as the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM; www.aclam.org) and the American Society for Laboratory Animal Practitioners (ASLAP; www.aslap.org), as well as more recently founded international organizations such as the International Association of Colleges of Laboratory Animal Medicine (IACLAM; www.iaclam.org) to provide education in and information about laboratory animal medicine to veterinary students and veterinarians.

Oversight of research animal care and use in Canada: Role of the Canadian Council on Animal Care

The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC; www.ccac.ca) was established in 1968 and is the national organization that oversees the care and ethical use of animals in research, teaching, testing, and production of biologics and animals used for scientific purposes. It works closely with over 200 institutional animal care committees (ACCs), supporting and empowering ACCs as they undertake the important responsibility of ensuring optimal levels of animal care and appropriate animal use. The CCAC delivers its mandate through 3 interrelated programs. Through its Guidelines Program, the CCAC produces a number of guidelines and policies that assist ACCs to organize and manage local research animal oversight. Through its well established Assessment Program, the CCAC helps to ensure a consistently high ethical standard of research animal care and use in Canada that is transferred to present and future investigators and animal care personnel through the Education and Training Program. The CCAC oversight system is unique in that it sets an ever increasing standard for care of research animals by continuously evolving to meet public expectations for high levels of animal care through incorporation of science-based refinements and replacements for animal use into its programs.

The CCAC recognizes that veterinarians play a pivotal role in animal care and use programs at research institutions. It requires each institution participating in the CCAC Program to employ at least 1 veterinarian to oversee animal well-being and to develop and implement an appropriate and comprehensive veterinary care program based on the CALAM/ACMAL Standards of Veterinary Care (http://www.calam-acmal.org/Content/StandardsVetCare.pdf ). The Standards document outlines the roles and responsibilities of laboratory animal veterinarians, including their role as providers of clinical services and as participants in overseeing compliance with institutional and CCAC standards. Also included in the recently revised Standards is the requirement that veterinarians be qualified by virtue of training or experience in laboratory animal science and medicine.

A number of smaller institutions that participate in the CCAC program are typically served by consulting or attending veterinarians who usually work full time in private practice and only spend a small amount of time in the research institutions. In addition, a number of medium to large institutions will hire recent veterinary graduates or veterinarians with a private practice background. Although their intentions are commendable, most veterinarians in private practice don’t receive much in the way of formal laboratory animal training in veterinary colleges, and their prior experience in clinical practice with common laboratory species is limited, as is their knowledge of the research environment in Canada, including the work of the CCAC.

In an effort to continue to work with Canadian scientific institutions to ensure that well-trained laboratory animal veterinarians are available, the CCAC has developed an action plan that included support for national training initiatives in laboratory animal science undertaken by Canadian veterinary colleges. Minimum continuing education (CE) requirements have been set and incorporated into a new CCAC policy statement for senior administrators responsible for animal care and use programs that was adopted by the CCAC Council in March 2008. The CE requirements have been discussed on a number of occasions with CALAM/ACMAL’s leadership and members. Specific requirements such as attendance at various conferences, workshops, and courses are spelled out in the new policy to ensure that all veterinarians working in laboratory animal medicine in Canada are qualified to do so. Specific qualifications will depend on the nature and scope of the institution’s animal care and use program, as well as the veterinarian’s prior experience.

Training programs for laboratory animal medicine in Canada

Routes of formal continuing education and postgraduate education that may be pursued by veterinarians wishing to gain expertise or to specialize in laboratory animal medicine have been recently reviewed (10). Board certification by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine is being seen as increasingly desirable by Canadian institutions wishing to hire laboratory animal veterinarians into more senior positions, as it suggests a high level of training and competency. Qualification to sit for ACLAM Board examination can be gained without formal training for individuals with at least 6 y of relevant experience or following completion of an ACLAM-recognized training program. This, however, also requires a hypothesis-driven, first-author scientific publication, which can be difficult to achieve for clinical practitioners without formal graduate or research training.

In 2005, an entry level distance education certificate in laboratory animal medicine was developed in Canada to provide continuing education for licensed veterinary practitioners entering the field of laboratory animal medicine (http://www.open.uoguelph.ca/offerings/program.cfm?pid=59). This program consists of 4 courses and may be completed in as little as 1 mo or up to 2 y from initial entry. The first course is a web-based self-study module covering major themes in laboratory animal medicine, and the subsequent 3 courses are applied in nature, emphasizing skills development, for a total of 160 h of effort. A major advantage of this program is that veterinarians working in more isolated regions can still participate in advanced training without the need for relocation. Development of program content was highly collaborative and multi-institutional, resulting in widespread acceptance of the program by the CCAC and the professional laboratory animal veterinary community (CALAM/ACMAL). Because the program has professional and academic approval, graduates of the program receive the credential “Cert. LAM” upon successful completion. Since its inception in the fall of 2005, approximately 26 veterinarians have enrolled; 17 individuals have graduated, with the remainder still in course.

Another academic program geared toward clinically focused veterinarians is the Diploma program offered by the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). This program has been recognized by the Ontario Council of Graduate Studies since 1987 and provides veterinarians with broad-based didactic and applied information in laboratory animal science. The laboratory animal science Diploma program is offered through the Department of Pathobiology at the OVC and is available as a “distance” version in addition to that offered onsite. Applicants are required to have a DVM (or equivalent) degree with acceptable academic standing, a current Canadian veterinary license, and at least 2 y of practical experience working in laboratory animal medicine. The objective of the Diploma program is to provide advanced education, emphasizing didactic and course-based applied training, in laboratory animal medicine and pathology. The Diploma program requires a minimum of 4 semesters of full-time enrollment, satisfactory completion of 4 graduate courses, and a departmental research seminar presentation. Diploma program candidates are also required to conduct a 4- to 6-month research project and an in-depth literature review during their program. They must pass a final oral examination on general knowledge in laboratory animal science and graduates may use the credential “Dipl. Path.” Because students receive credit for applied work, veterinarians may continue to work full- or part-time while completing this program, making it attractive to veterinarians and their employers alike.

The University of Guelph has also offered a 3- to 4-year DVSc or PhD program of study in Laboratory Animal Science since 1987 (http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/personal/las/). This is a traditional, full-time doctoral level graduate program that includes didactic and applied training in comparative medicine and pathology with a strong research emphasis, a qualifying examination, and a written thesis defended upon conclusion of the program. This is currently the only training program outside the United States recognized by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine.

More recently, a 4- to 5-year PhD program in Laboratory Animal Science has been offered at the University of Calgary. This is also a traditional research-focused program of study that additionally includes elements of applied laboratory animal medicine clinical training and should permit diversity of employment opportunities for graduates. Finally, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal has developed a 3-year residency program in laboratory animal medicine, which was launched in September 2008. This program emphasizes applied clinical training in laboratory animal medicine for French language veterinarians and incorporates a short research project. Training programs are also available in the United States for Canadian veterinarians, although funding opportunities may be limited for non-United States residents. A complete list of graduate training programs in laboratory animal medicine may be found on the Web site of the American Society for Laboratory Animal Practitioners (http://aslap.org/OnePage.php).

A major deterrent for veterinarians considering returning for post-graduate studies in any area is adequate stipend support during graduate studies. Although post-graduate compensation for laboratory animal veterinary specialists is high compared with many other veterinary specialties, achieving appropriate and consistent levels of stipend support during graduate studies has been difficult. Recognizing the critical role of laboratory animal veterinarians in overseeing research animal welfare, all 5 of Canada’s veterinary colleges together with the CCAC, are currently engaged in a collaborative effort to develop a stronger national network of formal training in this field and are making representations to the Canadian government for better funding support for training in laboratory animal medicine.

Conclusions

Laboratory animal medicine is an exciting alternative field of practice within veterinary medicine that offers excellent compensation and benefits for veterinarians, without necessitating major financial capital investments that traditional practice ownership demands. Qualified laboratory animal veterinarians are in increasing demand across Canada and have tremendous opportunities to develop special interests in a range of fields and with a diversity of species.

Because of their emphasis on animal welfare issues, laboratory animal veterinarians are in a position to make direct and important improvements to the care, well-being, and welfare of animals, which often become permanent standards for veterinary care of all species, both nationally and internationally. The recent development of diverse post-graduate training opportunities in laboratory animal medicine in Canada should provide flexibility to meet the needs of a wide range of veterinarians considering careers in this field.