Abstract:

Laboratory animal practitioners refer to various personnel engaged in work related to laboratory animals or animal experiments. Their development not only affects the occupational health and safety of practitioners but also directly impacts the development level of laboratory animal science and the accuracy of animal experiment results. This article reviews the training requirements for laboratory animal practitioners stipulated by national standards, regulations, normative documents, and management policies in Sichuan Province. It analyzes the scale and training status of laboratory animal practitioners in Sichuan Province, compiles statistics on the changes in the scale of laboratory animal practitioners in Sichuan Province from 2015 to 2024, and examines the number of practitioners in four categories (scientific researchers, management personnel, animal keepers, and other personnel) and three different educational levels (postgraduate degree, bachelor's degree, and below bachelor's degree). It summarizes the possible reasons for the changes in personnel structure from 2015 to 2024, namely the continuous refinement of the division of labor in laboratory animal-related work and the continuous development of disciplines such as life sciences, medicine, and pharmacy. The article analyzes the current training status of laboratory animal practitioners in Sichuan Province from three aspects, including training organizations, the training system, and training methods for laboratory animal practitioners in Sichuan Province. It provides a detailed analysis of the series of training sessions on laboratory animal-related topics organized by the Office of the Laboratory Animal Management Committee of Sichuan Province and the Sichuan Laboratory Animal Society since 2019. It concludes that there are advantages such as an increasing proportion of highly educated personnel and a relatively well-established training system, and discusses issues such as inadequate top-level design and insufficient attention from some units. Finally, it proposes corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, including strengthening the assessment of practitioner training, formulating training plans for laboratory animal practitioners, and compiling specialized training materials. This article can provide a reference for the development and training of laboratory animal practitioners.