3 T Training Tool: Earrings and Backs ™

Earrings and Backs ™ exercises is designed to manipulate metal objects with the surgical instruments and helps trainees to focus on stabilizing the hands. Consist of a small stud earring and a simple butterfly earring back. Stabilizing the hands during fine motor movements and potentially jerky motions.

Earrings and Backs™ is part of the 3 Ts Training Tools (3 Ts), a training method designed to provide hands-on training and practice for individuals working with animals in research, testing and educational settings. They incorporates simple, inexpensive, and effective tools to teach and encourage practice of non-surgical and surgical procedures, prior to conducting similar training and practice on live animals. The tools used for the 3 Ts surgical curriculum for Aseptic Rodent Surgery Training and Practice is called the “3 Ts Dexterity Tools™”. These exercises are designed to address many of the common repetitive hand motions and skills required to perform surgery. Trainees will learn to translate the skills they have developed on the 3 Ts inanimate training tools into practice on live animals. For more information about Translational Training Tools™.

Description:

1. Earring backs are a bit tougher to place.
2. Maintain a stable hand position.
3. Try not to jerk or jolt your hands.
4. Try not to grip the instrument too firmly causing the hands to cramp or fatigue. 

Ingredients:

• Basic stud earring
• Basic stud earring backs
• During the Earrings and Backs exercise, provide the trainee with a least one pair of hemostats and one pair of thumb forceps.

Supplies: Containers to hold the beads, A small bag into which the earrings and backs can be stored together, A non-slip mat to place on the table to help prevent the beads from rolling away during the exercise.

Instructions:

1. Open the container and place the earrings and backs on the non-slip surface
2. The Earrings and Backs exercise is now ready for the trainee to use

For more information and images to help guide the process, please see The Joy of Training Cookbook, Volume 2: (Recipies for crafting your own purpose-specific training tools for surgery practice). 


Dexterity Tools™ and Exercises from Volume 2:

1. Macro Dexterity Tools™:

1. 1. Bead Board™
   2. Neuter Board™
   3. Tissue Board™
   4. Nail Board™
   5. Cutting Ring™

2 . Micro Dexterity Tools™: 

1. 1. Peg Boards™.  
   2. Bead Threading™
   3. Earrings and Backs™
   4. Color Band Boards™
   5. Bead Cup Exploratory™

Please also see The Joy of Training Cookbook, Volume 1: (Recipies for crafting your own purpose-specific training tools for non-surgical procedures).

3 Ts Training Tools from Volume 1:

• FP Balloon™
  • IM Foosbun™ 
• Venipuncture Tools:
  • Tube Tail™ (venipuncture of the lateral tail vein)
  • Spongy Bunear™ (venipuncture of the rabbit marginal ear vein)
  • Ear Piggy Piggy™ (venipuncture of the marginal ear vein of pigs)
  • Cephalic Tube™ (venipuncture of the canine or feline cephalic vein)
• Cardiac Balloon™ (cardiac-puncture blood collection in rodents)
• CD Mouse™ (validation of competency of cervical dislocation euthanasia in rodents)
• Pink E. D. Cap™ (validation of competency of decapitation euthanasia of neonatal mice)