Elements and Performance Criteria
- Prepare for procedures and maintain documentation
- Comply with organisational protocols, policies and procedures as set down by the AEC and relevant legislative requirements, including work health and safety, at all times
- Identify regulatory and project documentation requirements
- Verify project reproductive and breeding program objectives against instructions
- Maintain and update records according to organisational policies and procedures
- Assist to vasectomise males
- Prepare equipment and work areas
- Select male mice of appropriate age for vasectomy and assess for health status and suitability for surgery
- Prepare and verify contingency plans to respond to potential emergencies during and after surgery
- Prepare anaesthetics, analgesics and equipment according to instructions or project specifications
- Anaesthetise animal under supervision and monitor to ensure surgical anaesthesia is achieved and maintained
- Prepare animal for aseptic surgery
- Conduct vasectomy and close wounds under supervision
- Monitor animal during recovery
- Confirm success of vasectomy
- Assist to collect embryos
- Monitor females of appropriate age for stages of oestrus cycle
- Identify suitable females and assess health status
- Prepare female for super-ovulation according to organisational procedure
- Mate female with an entire male
- Confirm presence or absence of vaginal plugs
- Collect embryos under supervision from the reproductive tract of super-ovulated and mated donor females
- Manage and manipulate embryos
- Hold embryos in a suitable receptacle under optimal temperature and atmospheric conditions to ensure viability
- Grade and manipulate embryos
- Wash embryos in an aseptic manner for the purpose of re-derivation transfer
- Store embryos before transfer
- Monitor procedures, materials, equipment and techniques for quality
- Assist to transfer embryos
- Monitor success of embryo transfer