Welfare of Animals in Medical Training Programs

Medical and veterinary students have historically learned surgical techniques on live animals, a practice that alternatives are progressively replacing.

Key Facts

Live animal surgical training was standard in most US medical schools until the 1990s
High-fidelity surgical simulators now provide equivalent technical training outcomes
The American Medical Association removed its endorsement of live animal labs in 2008
Veterinary schools still use live animal training for some procedures due to limited alternatives
Terminal animal labs in some countries kill hundreds of thousands of animals annually for medical education

Welfare Considerations

Medical training animal welfare has seen significant improvement as simulation technology has advanced. Surgical trainers using synthetic tissues, cadavers, and computer simulation provide equivalent or superior technical training to live animal labs while eliminating welfare costs. Veterinary training is more challenging to replace because veterinarians must learn to treat live animals — but refinement approaches using cadavers and supervised clinical experience are advancing.

What You Can Do

Support medical and veterinary schools that have eliminated live animal training in favor of simulation
Advocate for your institution to adopt simulation-based training alternatives
Donate to organizations developing veterinary training alternatives that reduce live animal use
Engage with medical and veterinary student unions about curriculum transition to animal-free training methods