University faculty, staff, and students must complete an animal use health screening prior to work in any University animal care and use environment to evaluate and address potential health risks related to working with research animals.
You can help speed up the health screening process by following these tips when completing the online Animal Use Medical Screening (AUMS) form:
1. Verify your contact Information.
- Check that your phone and email address are current.
- Your UW email address must be in the “@uw.edu” format.
2. List your allergies.
The AUMS program can help you reduce the risk of developing lab animal allergies and to help prevent existing allergies from worsening.
- If you have allergies, check the box next to “I have known allergies (animals or other).”
- List your allergies, along with the severity and treatment (if any) in the “Please specify” text box.
- Read the EH&S Lab Animal Allergy focus sheet to learn more about animal allergens and find out if you are at risk for developing allergies.
3. Specify your tetanus booster date.
If you don’t know the date of your last tetanus vaccination, check with your health care provider or pharmacist. Some primary care patient portals list immunizations. Tetanus vaccinations are due every 10 years.
4. Indicate any additional health concerns.
If you indicate you have health, workplace or reproductive concerns on the AUMS form, a nurse from the UW EH&S Employee Health Center will contact you by email or phone for a confidential consultation.
After completing the online Animal Use Medical Screening (AUMS) form or in-person animal use health screening, the EH&S occupational health nurse will notify the University’s Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) that you are cleared to work in animal care and use environments.
Frequency of AUMS screenings: Most personnel complete the online AUMS form every three years. Those who have medical conditions that place them at higher risk around animals may be asked to complete the screening annually. Personnel with more direct contact with animals and their housing and bedding may complete the screening every year as part of an in-person nurse consultation.
If you have any questions, you can contact an occupational health nurse at emphlth@uw.edu or 206.685.1026.