Poor Compensation Spurred Pharmacy Technician Staffing Shortages in 2021

Hospitals and health systems are grappling with pharmacy technician staffing shortages due to staff frustrations with heavy workloads and poor compensation, according to two surveys conducted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).

Pharmacy technicians play a crucial role in hospitals and health systems, as they are responsible for a wide range of services that support patient care. Their responsibilities include inventory management, medication order distribution, sterile compounding of chemotherapy, handling of hazardous drugs, billing, and additional medication and administrative functions.

“Pharmacy technicians make up a huge part of the pharmacy team and play critical roles in patient care,” JoAnne Myhre, CPhT, BA, FMSHP, chair of the ASHP Pharmacy Technician Forum, said in the press release. “Most technicians work behind the scenes, doing complex and sometimes difficult jobs that enable pharmacists and other team members to use their clinical and managerial skills most effectively.”

However, pharmacy technicians are not immune to the workforce shortage that has plagued the rest of the healthcare industry for the past few years.

ASHP conducted two surveys in November 2021 to understand the driving factors behind the pharmacy technician shortage and what pharmacy administrators are doing to improve retention. ASHP distributed the first survey to hospital and health system pharmacy executives and the second survey to pharmacy technicians from the ASHP and Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) databases.

The majority of hospital and health system pharmacy administrators reported turnover rates of at least 21 percent during 2021, with one in 10 saying that they had lost 41 percent or more of their technicians.

Pharmacy administrators reported implementing various strategies to help relieve the pharmacy technician shortage. Almost all administrators increased the use of overtime, and nearly 90 percent of administrators shifted technician tasks to pharmacists, the survey found.

More than 5,000 pharmacy technicians completed the second survey and offered insight into what is pushing technicians to leave the field.

Three-quarters of respondents said that a higher compensation would help retain technicians. Around 30 percent of technicians reported that they would like employers to offer retention bonuses, while 25 percent said they would like to see a career ladder with clear pathways to promotion.

Pharmacy technicians were generally satisfied with their jobs and cited several reasons that motivated them to stay. More than half of technicians said they remained in their position because of their desire to help patients. Nearly 75 percent of technicians reported that the relationship with supervising pharmacists was a significant factor that contributed to their job satisfaction.

However, pharmacy technicians expressed frustration with certain aspects of their jobs. According to the survey, technicians reported feeling frustrated with heavy workloads, inadequate staffing, and poor compensation. Salary was the most common factor technicians said would make them consider leaving their position.

“The survey highlights the reality that hospital pay scales, which are based on wage grade systems, fail to reflect pharmacy technicians’ commitment to their role, their vital place on the team, and the complexity of their jobs,” Stan Kent, chief pharmacy officer at University of Michigan Health and a past president of ASHP, said in the press release. “Technicians are essential contributors to the team, and the skills they develop on the job and through specialized training should be reflected in their pay if we want to retain them and continue to benefit from their skills and experience.”

The pharmacy executive survey revealed that administrators have taken action to help improve staff retention. Seventy-five percent of pharmacy administrators responded that they had offered base pay raises in the last 11 months to attract and retain technicians.

Additionally, most administrators said they offered off-cycle pay increases and other hiring and retention incentives. More employers offered to pay for educational expenses, formal technician training, and certification, registration, or licensing fees for technicians in 2021. In addition, the survey found that 38 percent of employers implemented internal technician training programs.

Staffing shortages have been an ongoing problem since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among physicians and nurses. In some instances, staffing shortages have impacted clinical quality, while other facilities have experienced high spending due to staff shortages.