Cost in producing graduates by the Faculty of Nursing, Prince of Songkla University
ต้นทุนผลิตพยาบาล คณะพยาบาลศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยสงขลานครินทร์

Phechnoy Singchungchai, Assoc. Prof., D. of Ad. of Nursing Education and Nursing Service, F. of Nursing, PSU.
Varaporn Nunkaew, D. of Ad. of Nursing Education and Nursing Service, F. of Nursing, PSU.
Sutum Umpama, D. of Ad. of Nursing Education and Nursing Service, F. of Nursing, PSU.

Grant : Government Budget
Published : Research Report
Key words : producing graduates, nursing student, Faculty of Nursing PSU.

This is a retrospective study and the objective of this study was to determine the unit cost of nursing graduates in three categories : Cost per head by department and government sector, cost per head (personal express), and total cost per head (cost for the Faculty of Nursing, cost for personal expenses, and cost for training places). The data were backdated to the 4-fiscal-year period between 1994 and 1997 (october 1, 1994 - September 30, 1997). The operation costs and investment costs were calculated by means of fixed costs and variable costs. The data were collected from two sources : secondary sources which were data recorded in various budget manuals, i.e. welfare accounts, annual budget for expense accounts, biographical data of lecturers and supporting staff (to collect data on position allowance); and primary sources which were 25% of each group of graduates, bachelor's and master's degree holders, or 100 and 18 graduates, respectively. Training places are considered part of the cost in producing nursing graduates, Therefore, a survey of expenses in 10 training places for nursing students was made. The data were analyzed using numbers, percentages and means. The results were as follows :

1. The cost per head classified by department and the gross per head cost for the government sector (Faculty of Nursing)

The total cost classified by department revelaed that the highest production cost in produc-ing nursing graduates was that of the Department of Obstetric Gynecologic Nursing and Midwifery (13.5%), followed by the Department of Medical Nursing (12.81%), and the Department of Public Health Nursing (12.8%). The cost per head classified by department was between 10,740 and 12,101 baht. The lowest cost per head was the Department of Psychiatric Nursing (10,740 baht/head), and thehighest was the Department of Obstetric-Gynecologic Nursing and Midwifery (12,101 baht). The average total cost per head (for all departments) in the government sector (Faculty of Nursing) was found to be 90,206 per person. (The highest indirect cost or the welfare cost classified by department was the cost of the Secretariat Office (27.4%), followed by permanent employment (13.9%), and the Department of Pediatric Nursing (10.8%).

2. Cost per head (personal expenses) for nursing students Most of the cost (personal expenses) for a nursing student pursuing a bachelor's (4 years) was the expense in daily life activities and travel (64.3%) followed by tuition fees (16.8%). The cost for student pursuing a master's degree was found to be similar. The highest cost was for daily life expenses and travel (35.9%) followed by educational equipment (24.8%). The cost per head (personal expenses) for bachelor's degree students was 285,320 baht/person and that for master's degree stu- dents was 175,509 baht/person.

3. Total cost per head (cost for the Faculty of Nursing, cost for personal expenses, and cost for training places)

The total cost for all agencies related to the production of nursing graduates at the under-graduate level was 375,526 baht per person. The cost ratio of the government sector to personal expenses is 1 : 3 for the bachelor's degree program, and 1 : 2 for the master's degree program.

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