Today we’d like to introduce you to Gil Rosas.
Hi Gil, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Once upon a time in 2014, I unenrolled from college after my first semester because I felt lost in life. I had scholarship money I did not want to waste and was technically a junior-level student at the bright age of 18. I had no ideas but all the pressure. On a whim, I spent the summer taking a few preliminary courses required for nursing school. I liked Science, was mediocre at math, but loved connecting with people.
Because I tend to make life harder for myself, I decided I had to apply to the accelerated Nursing program at the UT Health Science Center – School of Nursing in the Texas Medical Center. This had been, by far, one of the most arduous yet rewarding challenges I have ever experienced. By the year 2016, I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), earned my official Texas nursing license, and ordered enough extra shots of espresso, causing undiagnosed chronic tachycardia (or maybe it was just anxiety). I was ready to find my first adult job in healthcare, and joined the new grad program for critical care nurses at Texas Children’s Hospital in our medical center. Working as a cardiovascular critical care nurse and then eventually a pediatric neurology nurse will never leave me as one of the most pivotal phases of my career.
However, life always has a way of crossing your path with those you need, or need you, right when you least expect it. In one of my clinics, I met my now lifelong friend and sales director, who saved my resume and gave me a chance to advocate from a different side of healthcare. For the past 6 years now, I have done my best to help change patient lives, not necessarily from the bedside, but from a place we don’t always consider–specialty pharmacy. As a Senior Account Executive and National Sales Trainer, my role is dedicated to the lives of the patients that depend on our pharmacy (AcariaHealth) for their therapy needs. In a nutshell, I build bridges between our pharmacy and prescribing offices, between my fellow sales representatives, and between the sales team and our other internal operational departments. I am far from a car salesman and no longer administer medications via IV. However, my purpose has never changed. When I decided to reroute my life about 12 years ago, I didn’t know where I was meant to be, but I knew I had a deep desire to understand the human condition and learn from it.
I built a bridge for myself when I had no idea where to go next. As I constructed brick by brick, I found myself in some of the most arduous, soul-crushing, spirit-lifting, and rewarding experiences. I have learned a lot about others, but more so, about myself, and what caring for people meant to me. People hear about my nursing experience and always ask me why I left for a sector that most people see as a cash grab. The truth is, I left nursing because I had not yet learned how to control my empathy. It drained my mind, body, and soul. But nursing never left me. I have implemented the same values into my “sales” role, focusing on ways to benefit the patients we serve and the team that serves them. Where my bricks will lead me next, I do not know. But one thing I am confident of is my unwavering desire to change the world, one person at a time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Here’s the thing about roads: no matter how smooth or efficient you pave your way, something will always come across it to require construction.
I have experienced struggles in both romantic and platonic relationships, and the unnerving feeling of failing my very own expectations. Graduating from an accelerated nursing program was a challenge in itself and one that has shaped me forever. Just when I thought I could breathe, I had to keep studying to pass the NCLEX exam, earn my nursing license, and eventually continue my studies in intensive cardiovascular pediatric care. And then, I entered a very depressive part of my life where direction was nowhere to be found. I lost my spirit and forgot my light, requiring me to go through my own healing journey, leaving nursing altogether. I actually took a brief work hiatus after quitting my last nursing job and worked at Crate & Barrel for a few months right before Covid started. (Another slice of my pie has a huge passion for interior design and wants to pursue a more creative role–perhaps in another season) The struggles of being unemployed and in a rocky relationship inevitably ensued. Other obstacles were sprinkled in here and there.
My biggest lesson? When you think you have it all figured out, chances are you don’t. And for my people that do, always expect the unexpected.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have always been a jack-of-all-trades by nature and very rarely color within the lines (at least at work). At present, I manage clinical relationships within the Southwest Texas territory, which includes all of Greater Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, and everything in between, as a Senior Account Executive at AcariaHealth Specialty Pharmacy. I also lead the onboarding and training initiatives as the National Sales Trainer. I have completely spearheaded the training program at Acariahealth, conceptualizing and nurturing it myself. I also work as the sales liaison between our internal marketing, account management, clinical, and operations departments to improve cross-collaboration efficiency.
Between all of those lines, I have had many impactful experiences, large and small, from attending regional and national conferences to participating in a guest panel at a national healthcare advocate summit. One of my most notable was our very first AcariaHealth Specialty Pharmacy video interview showcasing the life of one of our patients (and my now great friend). I had the opportunity to be interviewed alongside my friend, and together, we pioneered showing the world the impact of AcariaHealth on the patients we serve. If you’re interested, you can watch for yourself on Youtube. The video is called Patient-Centered Care – Rosemarie’s Journey with AcariaHealth.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The best advice I could give and would have shared with myself is to remember that sometimes what is better isn’t always what is best. As we meander through life, we inevitably experience obstacles, challenges, and opportunities we wouldn’t have expected, and at the most inopportune times. There is no one path to walk, but that is the beauty of it. We get to decide what we want or who we want to be. But even when something seems like the better option in life, it isn’t always what is best for YOU in the season that you are in.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @gilroses
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilrosas/
