In 1969 the Board of Education decided to approve the name of Chemeketa Community College instead of Salem Technical-Vocational School. The program of Practical Nursing was developed in 1957, when 70 students were enrolled full-time. In 1970 and after great efforts Chemeketa starts operating as a district-wide comprehensive community college. Two years later, in December, the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges accredited the institution. In June of 2002 they had an enrollment of more than 2,000 people. Thus, Chemeketa (located in Salem) is the second-largest community college in Oregon.
They include a wide variety of Career and Training Divisions. Health Related programs or areas of study are included in the Divisions of Business, Health Care and Public Safety. The programs of Health Information Technology and Health Services Management belong to Business, while the Division of Health Care is a bit broader. It comprises the Dental Assistance, Emergency Medical Service, Health Information Technology, Health Services Management, Medical Transcription and Nursing programs. In regards to Nursing you are able to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or a Registered Nurse (RN). In addition, the Dental Assisting program is approved by the American Dental Association. Among the courses offered in their Public Safety Division the program of Emergency Medical Technology-Paramedic is included. This is a significant one because there are great employment opportunities for EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) due to the increasing demand of these professionals in ambulance companies, police and fire departments and industries.
The institution also confers you the possibility of opting for Pre-Professional Studies. This allows you to get degrees in professional schools such as the Oregon Health Science University, which offers a M.D. in Medicine and a D.M.D. degree in Dentistry. For this matter it would be good that you transfer to a four-year institution after a complete year at CCC. College admission to this type of schools is really hard.