TCC quickly began to grow its occupational programs in the early 1970s, partnering with existing programs and institutions to support quality learning opportunities for its vocational students. The most notable of these early programs was TCC’s partnership with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Tacoma General Hospital to provide associate’s degrees in several health care professions. Coordinating with St. Joseph’s Schools of Nursing, X-Ray Technology, and Medical Records Technology, and with Tacoma General’s School of X-Ray Technology, TCC was able to offer three programs beginning in 1968.¹⁷⁶ In turn, the hospitals’ schools sent their directly-enrolled students to TCC for supporting classes.¹⁷⁷ TCC continued building capacity for these programs on campus, and when St. Joseph’s curriculum shifted pathways away from the community college in 1972, TCC was ready.¹⁷⁸ Nevertheless, St. Joseph’s – and other area hospitals including Lakewood, Good Samaritan, Madigan Army Hospital, the Veteran's Hospital at American Lake¹⁷⁹ – continued to open its doors to TCC nursing students for clinical training opportunities during their degree programs.¹⁸⁰

As TCC built its on-campus capacity for health careers training, the college added programs for respiratory care,¹⁸¹ medical secretary,¹⁸² emergency medical care, human service worker¹⁸³ in the first half of the 1970s. Programs were designed to allow students to be eligible for necessary certifications and exams,¹⁸⁴ and were fully accredited.¹⁸⁵ Programs such as the human service worker and medical secretary tracks included internship placements for direct work experience¹⁸⁶ at locations such as Remann Hall (the juvenile detention center).¹⁸⁷ Toward the end of the 1970s another slate of programs for gerontology specialist, medical assistant, medical transcriptionist, and optometric technology¹⁸⁸ were added.

Although this exponential growth began to slow in the 1980s, new opportunities and partnerships continue to be developed for health professionals at TCC. Now, TCC provides one of the most high-demand access points to health careers in the community.