The Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City has a mission "to educate future physicians, especially those with an interest in primary care, to practice in underserved rural communities." The mission statement goes on to say that the school "is dedicated to the improvement of health care in northeast Tennessee and the surrounding Appalachian region." Quillen offers a small-town setting, small class sizes, a small but well-equipped hospital and a location at the foot of the Smokey Mountains that represents an unusual environment for a medical school.
Chattanooga College, located in the city with the same name in eastern Tennessee, offers programs for medical and dental assistants. The medical assisting program awards a diploma after 14 months of study during the day, or 18 months for night courses. The dental assisting program also awards a diploma, requiring 13 months during the day and 15 months at night.
At its Oak Ridge campus, Roane State Community College offers a two-year program leading to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene. According to its website, Roane has a 100 percent placement rate for its graduates in the couple of years preceding 2011 with most in private dental offices.
Chattanooga State Community College's Division of Nursing & Allied Health offers two-year Associate of Applied Science degrees in Dental Hygiene, Dental Assisting, Health Information Management, Registered Nursing, Physical Therapist Assistant and Radiologic Technology. All of the programs offered at the campus in Chattanooga in eastern Tennessee produce graduates with medical and dental training ready to meet patient needs. Education takes place in the Health Science Center, which opened in October 2009 at a cost of $28.5 million dollars.