Speakers at the meeting said 21 senior students in a high-school veterinary training program participated in a spay/neuter surgery performed with two doctors from Hillsborough Community College.

The presenters described the program as operating since 2007, combining lectures, dry labs and hands-on clinical experiences. Students are placed on clinical rotations (externships): one week during junior year and three weeks during senior year, during which they attend clinical sites instead of school to gain practical experience.

"Today, 21 of our students from the senior class, we participated in a surgery with 2 doctors from HCC where it was either a spay or a neuter," a speaker identified in the meeting as a senior student said. The presenter added that the program offers ongoing changes and growth and emphasized hands-on work for students.

Presenters said students "are actually gonna sit for their Florida Veterinary Medical Association state exam to be certified veterinary assistants." They also noted the program provides additional credentials described at the meeting as a veterinary medical certification and an AEST-related credential; the presenters did not specify full trade names or accreditation details for the latter.

A student commented on career readiness: "I can earn my CVA and I can walk into a clinic and, you know, be more qualified than another person who could walk in because this is what I chose to do in high school." Presenters urged committed participation in the program and congratulated the students on their accomplishments.

The meeting record included references to community partnerships, citing Hillsborough Community College and the Pet Resource Center as existing or desired partners. Specific funding sources, program enrollment beyond the 21 seniors reported, and the exact names or issuing bodies of all certifications were not specified in the transcript.

For readers: the Florida Veterinary Medical Association administers credentialing referenced in the meeting; other credential names mentioned were not fully detailed in the transcript.