Respiratory Therapy

Program Overview

The East Los Angeles College Respiratory Therapy Program is home to two distinguished pathways, the Associate of Science in Respiratory Therapy (ASRT) and the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy (BSRT). Together, these programs are designed to prepare future Respiratory Therapists with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience needed to thrive in today’s healthcare environment.

Our comprehensive curriculum for the ASRT Program combines rigorous classroom instruction with state-of-the-art laboratory training and supervised clinical practice. This approach ensures that students graduate not only with a strong academic foundation but also with the real-world experience necessary to excel in patient care. Our comprehensive curriculum for the BSRT Program is dedicated for hard working Registered Respiratory Therapists already in the field and that want to prepare for a higher lever of education online that can enhance their career.

Contact
Chairperson Michael Haines
Phone (323) 265-8813
Email RTProgram@elac.edu
Office Location G5-211
Office Hours
Department Respiratory Therapy
Pathway Health Sciences

ASRT Curriculum Map

ELAC ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE IN RESPIRATORY THERAPY CURRICULUM MAP

Section #1: Pre-Requisites.

Students must complete and pass the following prerequisites prior to applying:

RT PREREQUISITES
RT-101: Introduction to Respiratory Therapy. (2 Units)
HTH-TEK 133: Medical Terminology. (3 Units)
Anatomy 001 or Bio 020: Human Anatomy w/ Lab. (4 Units)
Physiology 001 or Bio 020: Human Physiology w/ Lab. (4 Units)
Chem 051 or 065: Introduction to General Chemistry. (4-5 Units)
As of Fall 2025, the following Program Prerequisite Change Request was approved for the Respiratory Therapy Mathematics Pre-Requisite: STAT C 1000 : Introduction to Statistics (4.0 units) or STAT C1000E: Introduction to Statistics (4.0 units) or BUS 015: Business Statistics (3.0 units) or ECON 020: Statistics for Economics (3.0 units) or PSYCH 091: Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (4.0 units) or SOC 125: Statistics for the Social Sciences (3.0 units) or MATH 245: College Algebra (3.0 units) or Higher Mathematics Course.
Comm C1000 Introduction to Public Speaking or Comm 121 Interpersonal Communication.

Section #2: ASRT Cohort Curriculum Map.

The ELAC Respiratory Therapy Program Curriculum Map can be found below.

Fall Semester (1st-Year)
RESP TH 110	Respiratory Care Physics, Medical Gases, and Infection Control
RESP TH 112	Respiratory Care Equipment Theory and Principles of Operation
RESP TH 114	Practice and Application of Respiratory Care Modalities
RESP TH 116	Cardiopulmonary Anatomy and Physiology

Winter Semester (1st-Year)
RESP TH 128	Pharmacology of Respiratory Therapy

Spring Semester (1st-Year)
RESP TH 120	Neonatal & Pediatric Respiratory Care
RESP TH 122	Cardiopulmonary Pathophysiology
RESP TH 124	Principles of Critical Care Respiratory Care Modalities
RESP TH 126	Practical Application of Critical Care Respiratory Care Modalities

Summer Semester (2nd-Year)
RESP TH 130	Pulmonary Diagnostic Techniques
RESP TH 201	Introduction to Clinical Practice

Fall Semester (2nd-Year)
RESP TH 210	Applied Respiratory Care Intervention & Assessment I
RESP TH 212	Clinical Practice of Respiratory Care I
RESP TH 214	Advanced Continuous Mechanical Ventilation Modalities

Winter Semester (2nd-Year)
RESP TH 216	Advanced Clinical Practices

Spring Semester (2nd-Year)
RESP TH 220	Applied Respiratory Care Intervention & Assessment II
RESP TH 222	Clinical Practice of Respiratory Care II
RESP TH 224	Special Procedures & Current Issues in Respiratory Care

Note: This curriculum map is only for students accepted into the Respiratory Therapy Program at ELAC. This curriculum map can be changed at any time. Changes made to the maps will be titled on this page as "Amendment to the ELAC RT Curriculum Map." Amendments made will be made under the approval of the ELAC Respiratory Therapy Leadership Team and Administration.”

BSRT Curriculum Map

ELAC BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN RESPIRATORY THERAPY CURRICULUM MAP

Section #1: REQUIREMENT

To qualify, students must have fall under under this critieria

BSRT REQUIREMENTS
Student currently enrolled in the AS Respiratory Therapy program at East Los Angeles College and intend to continue to the BS Respiratory Therapy program. Note: If interested in pursuing the BSRT in the future, students must take ENGLISH 103 and follow the CSUGE pattern as it is a required class that wasn't part of the ASRT Degree.
OR
New graduates from other programs who have completed an accredited Respiratory Therapy program equivalent to an AS in Respiratory Therapy and are California RCP licensure eligible.
OR
Respiratory Care Practitioners who have completed an accredited Respiratory Therapy program equivalent to an AS in Respiratory Therapy and are California RCP licensure eligible.
AND
Completed a minimum 30 units of the CSE General Education (CSUGE) pattern, including the “Golden Four” (A1-Oral Communication, A2-Written Communication, A3-Critical Thinking, and B4-Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning) or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) for CSU or UC.

Please Note: Your General Education requirements will reviewed by our Academic Counseling department via your submitted transcripts. If GE requirements are missing or not met, the Respiratory Therapy Department will ask that you meet with one of our Academic Counselors for further review.

Section #2: BSRT Cohort Curriculum Map.

The ELAC Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy Program Curriculum Map can be found below.

1st-Year- Fall Semester (First 8 Weeks)
SOC 325	Medical Sociology: Health and Diversity (full semester or 8 weeks) (Upper Div GE)
RESP TH 300	Critical Review of Healthcare Research
RESP TH 302	Education and Teaching Strategies for Healthcare Professionals

1st-Year- Fall Semester (Second 8 Weeks)
RESP TH 304	Basic Research Methods and Statistics for Healthcare Providers (Upper Div GE)
RESP TH 306	Advanced Cardiopulmonary Pathophysiology

1st-Year- Winter Semester
RESP TH 308	Neurophysiology and Control of Breathing

1st-Year- Spring Semester (First 8 Weeks)
PSYCH 420	Research Design and Methodology (full semester or 8 weeks) (Upper Div GE)
RESP TH 310	Advanced Respiratory Critical Care and Pharmacology
RESP TH 312	Healthcare Leadership and Operations

1st-Year- Spring Semester (Second 8 Weeks)
RESP TH 314	Advanced Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics
RESP TH 316	Medical Bioethics

2nd-Year- Summer Semester
RESP TH 400	Project I: Topic Exploration
RESP TH 412	Case Management I

2nd-Year- Fall Semester (First 8 Weeks)
RESP TH 402	Project II: Literature Review
RESP TH 414	Case Management II

2nd-Year- Fall Semester (Second 8 Weeks)
RESP TH 404	Project III: Implementation
RESP TH 416	Case Management III

2nd-Year- Winter Semester
RESP TH 406	Capstone: Summaritive Presentation

Note: This curriculum map is only for students accepted into the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy Program at ELAC. This curriculum map can be changed at any time. Changes made to the maps will be titled on this page as "Amendment to the ELAC BSRT Curriculum Map." Amendments made will be made under the approval of the ELAC Respiratory Therapy Leadership Team and Administration.”