University of South Carolina opts for medical simulation in response to recent criticism of its live animal lab
Alternatives to Animal Testing, Experimentation and Dissection - An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Physicians Committee (PCRM)
September 2016

Now, USC joins the majority of its peers by embracing medical simulation as the superior training method. Responsible decision-makers took an objective look at policies and made a change after careful review. We congratulate USC for responding quickly and making the appropriate decision.

On Aug. 25, we launched a public campaign against the University of South Carolina (USC) by filing a federal complaint to target its use of live animals for training emergency medicine residents. Local physicians joined us in asking the USDA to investigate the university for its animal use, which included practicing numerous invasive procedures on live pigs.

Earlier this week, the Executive Dean of the School of Medicine contacted me to confirm that they would be ending the animal experiments in favor of human-based training methods! This would not have happened without your ongoing support.

This is another victory for the animals used in advanced medical training—and the people who benefit from that training. Now, USC joins the majority of its peers by embracing medical simulation as the superior training method. Responsible decision-makers took an objective look at policies and made a change after careful review. We congratulate USC for responding quickly and making the appropriate decision.

Both local and national media have been covering this victory extensively. We've gained coverage in Columbia’s The State, USC’s The Daily Gamecock, and The South Carolina Radio Network, and a piece posted by AP was picked up by The New York Times, ABC News, The Star Tribune, The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Seattle Times.

We'll continue to focus on emergency medicine residencies—but for now, we could use your help in urging a longstanding holdout program to follow USC's example. Washington University (WashU) in St. Louis is the only known pediatrics residency in the country that still uses live animals to train students. At WashU, live cats and ferrets repeatedly endure having a breathing tube forced down their throats, which can cause tracheal bruising, bleeding, scarring, severe pain, and even death. This program is an anomaly and a prime example of where decision-makers need to review their policies and modernize their training methods.

ALERT: Tell Washington University to End the Use of Cats and Ferrets in Its Pediatrics Residency Program

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