Institutional Surgical Practices for Nonveterinarians

Abstract

The federal law through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR) confers program authority on the Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC). Part of that program authority is the decision about who is sufficiently qualified to perform experimental surgery using animals. At this time there is no clear standard reference for minimum criteria or minimum credentials. Thus each IACUC must establish its own standards for surgical privilege.