Joliet Junior College graduated its first nursing class in 1971, that graduating class had 11 students sit for the licensure examination. The program has expanded through the years and currently over 100 nursing students (RN) have graduated from the program this past year. In 1999 Joliet Junior College revised the nursing program to include a practical nurse exit option at the completion of the first year of the nursing curriculum. Joliet Junior College had it's first graduating class for Radiology Technology in December 2008.
Other Allied Health Programs have been established through the years to include Certified Nursing Assistant, Phlebotomy, and Orthotics and Prosthetics. Allied health professionals are health care practitioners with formal education and clinical training who are credentialed through certification, registration and/or licensure. They collaborate with physicians and other members of the health care team to deliver high quality patient care services for the identification, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disabilities and disorders.
According to the United States Department of Labor "Health care will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016, more than any other industry. Seven of the twenty fastest growing occupations are health care related. Job opportunities should be good in all employment settings. Employment in health care will continue to grow for several reasons. The number of people in older age groups, with much greater than average health care needs, will grow faster than the total population between 2006 and 2016; as a result, the demand for health care will increase." With the approval of the master plan and the anticipation of a new Nursing and Allied Health Building more allied health programs are on the horizon.