Costs of training drug-administration technicians

The costs associated with training drug-administration pharmacy technicians in a 1000-bed university teaching hospital were determined. Data were collected between January 1 and December 31, 1983, for the personnel acquisition phase and four training phases of the technician training program. The study phases were further divided into direct and indirect costs. The pharmacy department interviewed 56 applicants for the training program, of which 19 were accepted; 15 of the 19 (79%) trainees successfully completed the program and were hired. Four nine-week training sessions were conducted. The cost per training hour was $15.69, the cost per trainee was $5,683, and the total training cost of the program was $85,245. Although these cost data are specific to this hospital, they may assist other hospitals in the financial management of pharmacy technician training programs.