The ongoing veterinary workforce shortage crisis has affected no one more than animals in low-income communities. Those animals will likely never receive any medical care other than what nonprofit animal welfare organizations and public health clinics provide through low- and no-cost programs. Without high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter programs, communities are facing significant overpopulation of cats and dogs who are homeless, unwanted, unvaccinated, reproducing, and flooding public animal shelters. These programs cannot exist without licensed practitioners and the workforce shortage has made it nearly impossible for organizations to find veterinarians and technicians at all, let alone those willing and able to work without compensation (as currently required for CE credits). Nonprofit organizations are more than willing to compensate professionals for their time, and many practitioners – especially recent graduates – could use more experience in a surgical setting. Amending the current regulation to allow veterinarians and technicians to receive CE credits while they are compensated for providing spay/neuter services would benefit everyone: practitioners, animals in underserved communities, and public health at large.