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Eligibility for
Certification Examinations
Education and Work
Experience Requirements
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Education1 |
Work
Experience |
|
For
the ALAT Exam, you must meet one of the following three requirement
categories: |
|
ALAT
Examination |
No
high school diploma or G.E.D. |
+ 2
years |
|
H.S.
diploma or G.E.D. |
+ 1 year |
|
Any
college degree of 2 or more years duration |
+ .5
years |
|
For
the LAT Exam, you must meet one of the following four requirement
categories. Please note - you MUST have a high school diploma or
G.E.D. to be eligible for the LAT Exam. |
|
LAT
Examination |
H.S.
diploma or G.E.D. |
+ 3
years |
|
Any
two-year A.A./A.S. degree |
+ 2.5
years |
Any
four-year B.A./B.S. or higher
(M.A./M.S./Ph.D./D.V.M., etc.) degree |
+ 2
years |
|
ALAT
certification plus H.S. diploma or G.E.D., or college or higher degree |
+1
additional year after receiving ALAT certification |
|
For
the LATG Exam, you must meet one of the following four requirement
categories. Please note - you MUST have a high school diploma or
G.E.D. to be eligible for the LATG Exam |
|
LATG
Examination |
H.S.
diploma or G.E.D. |
+
5 years |
|
Any
two-year A.A./A.S. degree |
+
4.5 years |
|
Any
four-year B.A./B.S. or higher (M.A./M.S./Ph.D./D.V.M., etc.) degree |
+
4 years |
|
LAT
certification plus H.S. diploma or G.E.D., or college or higher degree |
1
additional year after receiving
LAT certification |
|
1
Documentation must be provided for all diplomas/degrees. Non-U.S.
diplomas/degrees will be evaluated for equivalency and may be referred
to the CRB. |
Acceptable documentation
includes: a copy of diploma, a copy of transcripts or an official letter from
the educational institution. Until the proper documentation and fees are
submitted, your application will not be processed.
Definition of Work
Experience
Work experience must be directly related to the maintenance of the health and
well-being of laboratory animals AND must also be gained in a "laboratory
animal facility" as defined by the AALAS Board of Trustees and CRB.
Examples of acceptable work experience include the care, use, handling, and/or
treatment of laboratory animals, surgical or necropsy activities, cage wash
operations, clinical pathology laboratory duties, or the direct supervision of
personnel engaged in these same activities. Experience gained as part of an
externship, internship, preceptorship, and fellowship in a "laboratory
animal facility" will be counted hour for hour against experience
requirements. However, experience gained in a classroom or laboratory course
setting does not count as work experience, nor does volunteer work.
Work experience in a
laboratory animal facility that does not directly affect the health and
well-being of laboratory animals will not be counted. Examples include (but are
not limited to) accounting functions, quality assurance auditing functions
(e.g., Good Laboratory Practice auditors), driving delivery vehicles, selling
equipment, performing maintenance, and fabricating cages.
Veterinary clinics,
zoos, pet stores, or other similar businesses or organizations do not meet the
definition of a Laboratory Animal Facility. Any work experience gained from this
type of employer will not be accepted toward the work experience requirements
for AALAS certification. Work as a veterinary technician will only count if
performed in a "laboratory animal facility."
Work Experience
Criteria
A work year is 1,950 hours regardless of how many facilities a person has worked
in. You may combine work experience from more than one facility to meet the
experience requirements for your desired level of certification. Verifiable
overtime or work weeks in excess of 40 hours per week may allow you to complete
a work year in less than 12 months.
Sick leave and vacation
time are earned hours and, as such, may be counted. Extended leave of greater
than one (1) month should be deducted when calculating hours worked.
Work experience must be
verified on your Application Form by the supervisor(s) in charge where the work
was performed.
Definition of a
"Laboratory Animal Facility"
All work experience must be gained in a "Laboratory Animal Facility."
The CRB defines a laboratory animal facility as any institution or organization
that:
-
Uses or supplies
live animals in research, testing or for educational purposes, or
-
Produces,
purchases, or transports live laboratory animals in commerce, or
-
Receives funds
under a grant, award, loan, or contract from private industry, benevolent
organizations, or from a department, agency or instrumentality of the
United States for the purpose of carrying out research, tests, or
education.
Status as a Laboratory
Animal Facility will be determined by the CRB in accordance with this
definition. Verification of any of the following will automatically be
considered as proof of meeting this definition:
-
Registered as a
"Research Facility" or licensed as a dealer by the USDA, or
-
Standing as a
State or Federal Agency that files annual reports for the use of
laboratory animals with the USDA, or
-
Accreditation with
the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal
Care, International (AAALAC), or
-
Having an
Assurance number on file with the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW).
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