Qualifications for Sports Pharmacists
In addition to pharmacy education, Sports Pharmacists acquire knowledge in sports sciences, sports and exercise medicine, athlete rights, and sports integrity. The development of skills through experience is matched with on-going competency training, literature review, and awareness of anti-doping code and law.
- Specified Training and Credentials for Sports Pharmacists
- Completed formalised pharmacy education from a school or college of pharmacy
- Licensed or properly registered to practice as a Pharmacist (such as a "Registered Pharmacist")
- Performs the duties of Athlete Support Personnel (ASP)
- Trained in Patient Privacy and Athlete Rights, able to maintain confidentiality, execute a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and able to recognise and report abuse or mistreatment of an athlete
- Completion of annual anti-doping training for sports integrity and for protocols on medical use of prohibited substances (banned substances, restricted medications); Sports Pharmacist may also be the designated educator for ASP and/or athletes often in partnership with an antidoping authority or sports organization
- Global credential from the International Olympic Committee as a Drugs in Sport Certificate (offerred 2019 to present) and / or the IOC Sports Pharmacy Diploma (coming soon)
- Practising in Japan, Sports Pharmacists must complete the Sports Pharmacist System training program before using the title of Sports Pharmacist.
Additional educational programming and certification in these areas, as deemed necessary for the pharmacy practice setting, pharmacy law and scope of practice for contracted pharmacy services:
- pharmacotherapy for athlete health and sports performance
- modified pharmacy operations for sports and sporting events (local, national, international)
- drug information, scientific research, and pharmacotherapy protocol development
- pharmacogenomics and nutrigenomics interpretation
- toxicology and drug detection
- sports nutrition, education for sports pharmacists is recommended to counsel, screen, and refer athletes
- nutraceuticals and dietary supplements for prevention or therapy with great emphasis placed on safe use and risk reduction (contamination risk, product selection)
- sports pharmaceutics (sport-specific, athlete-centric customized drug product selection)
- other knowledge and skills used by sports pharmacists depend on the pharmacy setting and goals of the athlete or sporting organization.
Sports pharmacists extend this specialised knowledge and these skills to any pharmacy setting and to all patients, who benefit from improving physical health or weight management or weaning medications through the change of body composition and exercise physiology.