Unit costs of medical student training in the clinical years: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Medical Education Centers in hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) have the crucial mission of training clinical medical students, including the 6th-year medical students from other institutions undergoing rotational training. However, there is no existing study on the costs incurred in this specific context. This research aims to study the unit cost of medical student training at the Medical Education Center, Lampang Hospital, and to estimate the training cost of Year 6 medical students undergoing rotational training from other institutions.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study, collecting data on training cost of clinical medical student training at Lampang Hospital during the 2024 academic year between June 2024 to May 2025 in 145 clinical medical students and estimated 1 – 30 medical students on rotational training from other medical schools included into the analysis. The study estimated the accounting cost using a standard costing method. The cost analysis was based on empirical costing approach, together with the requirement from the medical curriculum, from the societal perspective. The cost assessment framework divided costs into two main groups: 1) training costs and 2) administrative costs.

Results: The unit cost of training for Year 4-6 medical students was 248,979.06 Baht per person per year. The three highest cost categories were operating costs (26.4%), stipends/compensation (21.8%), and materials and equipment (14.6%), respectively. For the estimated unit cost of rotational training for Year 6 medical students from other medical schools, with group sizes ranging from 1 to 30 students, the unit cost was between 4,500 – 6,000 Baht per person per week, with the average cost per person decreasing as the number of students increased.

Conclusion: The cost data obtained provides empirical evidence reflecting the financial burden of the training center. This information can be effectively utilized for budget planning and setting training subsidies that align with the actual costs incurred, thereby promoting the sustainability of the physician production system in MOPH hospitals.