Q&A about the Lifelong Learning policy

What procedures do I need to be trained to do?

In principle, an ‘Entrustable Professional Activity’ (EPA) is a task or series of tasks that you perform at some point on an animal as part of caring for it, or for an educational purpose or as part of an experiment. We assume that there is a separate SOP (standard operating procedure) for this task, that can be summed up in one line in table 4 or 6 of the work protocol. Any tasks still lacking this SOP must have one made in the coming months. While performing a complex procedure you may become competent in the simpler tasks that are part of it, such as injecting fluids during or before a more complex operation. We call these simple tasks nested EPAs; they can be signed off along with the more complex EPA.

Where can I keep track of my skills and knowledge?

You are responsible for keeping your own LLL portfolio, with records of what you have done to maintain your knowledge and skills. Make sure that you keep all proof, such as certificates, and the date on which you worked on your continuing education or training. The implementation guide contains point-by-point instructions for what information about an activity to keep track of. You can download a sample portfolio in Excel, showing where all these points are requested, here. This information must be accessible for both your supervisor and the LLL coordinator. The coordinator needs to be able to share this information with the AWB during the registration meeting.

Where can I register my skills (competencies)?

The UMC is working on registering through U-learn. Utrecht University has no system yet. If you work for the UU, then the best option is to keep an Excel document, a sample can be downloaded here. It is important to note the name of the supervisor and assessor, and the date of assessment of a skill (competency). For EPAs you already have mastered, also keep track of when someone has observed you as a reassessment.

Must I be competent in a task, if I want to develop or acquire this EPA in a pilot study?

In some situations it may not be possible to be registered as competent, for example in pilot studies where the feasibility of a new or modified technique is being tried out. However, this does not mean that there are no competency requirements. it may be that the AWB wants you to demonstrate that you are competent in a comparable technique, or to work under the supervision of someone who is competent in a comparable technique. Include this in the training section of your work protocol. 

How does this policy apply to Principe Investigators or Study Directors who are only involved in writing license applications or work protocols. Are they obliged to follow the policy?

Yes, concerning knowledgeability it is important that all involved keep their expertise about the usage of animals in science up to date, if research questions leads to utilizing animals. This can be a workshop or training on systematic reviews, searching alternatives or involving alternatives in model choice. Also further training on animal research specific statistics or design could be considered (low number statistics, or complex randomization) If someone does not have the time to do this, this scientist can best hand over the responsibility of applying for licenses or setting op Work Protocols to a knowledgeable person. If someone does not handle animals, there is no need to maintain practical competences with animals.

Do employees from outside our organization need to be knowledgeable and competent according to our policy?

The answer is yes. Our policy is the minimum. Starting point is that animals that are being used in our facility, are only being utilized by knowledgeable and competent persons. So persons employed from outside do not have to be less knowledgeable or competent. If they contribute here from another institute with has less demanding requirements concerning Lifelong Learning, than our policy apllies.

Why does a supervisor (manager or trainer) also have to take an assessor training?

You are working towards a common goal, that is, the confidence that a person can perform a given task independently and responsibly. It is important that the trainer and assessor use the same method. The path to independently performing a task entails evaluation and feedback. After all, evaluating is also a part of the learning process.

How can I achieve an appointment as a supervisor or assessor?

You can register yourself for an appointment. You can do so through our registration form online. Until 2026, you can apply without meeting the training requirements. After this time, only supervisors and assessors will be (re)appointed after they have received training for this purpose.

What training do I need for appointment as a supervisor or assessor indefinitely?

The IvD competency officer determines whether you have had sufficient training to be appointed as a supervisor or assessor. You can submit a certificate for this. It is important that you have learned how to properly supervise and assess. The learning objectives have not yet been made public, but will be additionally published in the European Directive on Education & Training. In time, a training course of several days will be offered within Utrecht in which you can learn this. Basic training courses of the SBB, the BKO/SKO of a university or the BKE of a university of applied sciences can also serve as proof. In that case, the training is optional.

I worked at an another company. Can I use their work protocols or other proof to register my competence?

Yes, we presume  that everywhere you needed to be competent. Proof that you performed an EPA somewhere else can be used, when not older the two years and gathered before February 2024. We do advice you to ask a colleague (not necessarily an assessor) to re-assess you as soon as you start doing the EPA (entrusted professional activity) here to harmonise your approach with how it is done here.

Do I have to pay a supervisor or assessor?

Whatever you agree with the supervisor or assessor. In the past, it was already expected that you were trained and assessed. Now this is formalised. We presume that departments offer an exchange or their supervisors and assessors at no extra cost, as was practice in the past, to ensure quality together without all kind of financial burden. Training by a facility like the GDL might be billed within the project.

I am assessor or supervisor and hence I would like to be trained as such. Does my department need to pay for that?

Yes, your department has to pay for this. Because this is a specific course, the license holders decided not to pass it on to all departments through the education budget. This would be unfair to departments that do not conduct animal experiments.Also, you now retain the freedom to choose your own course provider, provided all learning outcomes of competence assessor are met. The learning outcomes will be published by the European Commission in the near future, but can already be requested from the IvD.

What can I do as a scientist to keep my knowledge up-to-date?

We made a list of options here.

My laboratory animal procedure is not available in Ulearn (for UMC staff only), how do I register this procedure as competent?

Ask your LLL coordinator to complete the procedure in the EPA list in the teams environment for UMC LLL coordinators. Each quarter (February, May, August and November) this list is updated by the Ulearn team at UMC. If you submit a work protocol before this update that contains this procedure, you can include your final assessment form as proof.

If your question doesn’t appear here, please get in touch with us!