By Cristian Rodriquez, PharmD
As a new practitioner, I often find myself exploring the seemingly endless opportunities within the profession. With such an immense array of ways to provide care as a pharmacist, it is sometimes difficult to find a place to call home. In my explorations, I find it best practice to do the general Google search of course, but even more essential, it is best to connect with individuals within the fields you are exploring. Only then can you get a real feel for what it is like to work within that subset of the profession.
This is why I reached out to staff members at the Sports Pharmacy Network a few months back for a deeper look into the rapidly growing field of sports pharmacy, and it subsequently led to me landing a position with them.
The comprehensive care of athletes
From conversations with multiple practitioners in the space, I found that sports pharmacy is not just the management of sports-related medications, but rather the comprehensive care of athletes as a patient population. Jessica Beal-Stahl, PharmD, vice president of the Sports Pharmacy Network, explains it best in saying, “The most impactful sports pharmacists I know didn’t get to where they are by solely focusing on sports. They gained broad clinical experiences that expanded their ability to think critically in complex scenarios. Understanding how medications impact the body, not just in sports but in a wide range of populations, from managing chronic conditions to acute injuries, will make you a stronger pharmacist when working with athletes.”
It goes beyond knowing what medications do, and further challenges pharmacists to understand why the medications do what they do and apply that to a specific patient population. For example, electrolyte levels and medications that affect levels for an average adult may be differently interpreted in a marathon runner who is losing more through sweat in their training. As a past collegiate athlete myself, I used to take ibuprofen like candy to get through multiple workouts a day. Now standing on the other side of pharmacy school, I find myself in a position to provide advice to those athletes, such as my past self, that may be unaware of the effects this could have.
Beal-Stahl noted that, “As a sports pharmacist, you must understand how to optimize performance through medication management, minimize side effects that hinder training or competition, and anticipate the impacts of medications in high-stress, high-performance environments, such as traveling internationally.” Making sure athletes are compliant with regulations to perform and managing supplements when they are so easily available online adds to the long list of ways a sports pharmacist can make an impact on their patients.
“Push into new spaces”
In the closing of my conversation with Beal-Stahl, she wanted me to forward the following message new practitioners: “Athletes deserve health care professionals who understand the full scope of performance, recovery, and long-term health. As a pharmacist, your impact can be game-changing, but only if you’re willing to step outside the traditional boundaries of pharmacy. Don’t limit yourself. Push into new spaces. Seek out opportunities that challenge you, expand your clinical lens, and deepen your ability to collaborate with the broader sports medicine team.”
There is definitely more to explore within this field, and I urge you to explore Sports Pharmacy Network. In my time working with Sports Pharmacy Network, I have met so many individuals who are passionate about this growing field and want to help pharmacists better position themselves to care for athletes. I never thought there would be a chance to specifically give back to athletes, but now I see there is this opportunity for me to do so. Whether at a health system, community, ambulatory, or really within any setting, I can study and tailor my continued learning to care for athletes everywhere.
My takeaway is do not be afraid to ask questions. I did not know them before, but now have built some strong connections in a field I could potentially find a home in. If you are willing to break out of your shell, you will be surprised what is out in the world for you to find!
Cristian Rodriquez, PharmD, is the clinical education coordinator for the Sports Pharmacy Network and practices at CVS Pharmacy in San Diego. He was a collegiate men’s volleyball player at Concordia University Irvine, where he found his passion for caring for athletes.