March 17, 2022 – According to new ASHP surveys, hospitals and health systems are experiencing severe shortages of pharmacy technicians. A majority of pharmacy administrators in a recent survey reported turnover rates of at least 21% in 2021, and nearly 1 in 10 noted they had lost 41% or more of their technicians.
Hospital and health-system pharmacy administrators in the survey, conducted on behalf of ASHP (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists), reported that they had implemented a variety of strategies to relieve the shortage, with nearly all increasing the use of overtime and nearly 9 out of 10 tapping pharmacists to perform tasks usually handled by technicians.
A separate ASHP survey conducted late last year and completed by more than 5,000 technicians shed light on what is needed to recruit and retain pharmacy technicians. Three-quarters of technicians who responded to the survey said higher pay would help retain technicians, nearly a third would like to see employers offer retention bonuses, and 25% desire a career ladder with clear pathways to promotion.
Three-quarters of pharmacy administrators reported that they had offered base pay increases in the previous 11 months to attract and retain pharmacy technicians. A majority also offered off-cycle pay raises and other retention and hiring incentives. Compared to before 2021, more employers were offering to pay for educational expenses and formal technician training and certification/recertification or registration or licensing fees for technicians, and 38% of employers implemented internal technician training programs.
Pharmacy technicians generally reported strong job satisfaction, with 54% citing their desire to help patients as a motivation to stay. They also identified supervising pharmacists as important factors, with nearly three-quarters of technicians indicating this relationship contributes to their job satisfaction. Even with that strong job satisfaction, technicians are often frustrated with heavy workloads, inadequate staffing, and inadequate compensation. Flexible work scheduling and career ladders contribute to positive job satisfaction. Salary was most often cited as the reason a technician might consider leaving their current position, and three-quarters of technicians who responded to the survey said higher pay is the most important way to retain pharmacy technicians.