Central supply technician vs distribution technician

The differences between central supply technicians and distribution technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a central supply technician has an average salary of $35,231, which is higher than the $33,564 average annual salary of a distribution technician.

The top three skills for a central supply technician include patients, sterile processing and customer service. The most important skills for a distribution technician are patients, computer system, and data entry.

Central supply technician vs distribution technician overview

	Central Supply Technician	Distribution Technician
Yearly salary	$35,231	$33,564
Hourly rate	$16.94	$16.14
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	30,995	154,925
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

What does a central supply technician do?

Central Supply Technicians are responsible for the administration and dispensing of surgical and medical supplies. Their duties include ordering supplies, filling supplies in supply cabinets, bulk rooms, carts, and central inventory, conducting par areas inspections, performing pallet break-downs, and undertaking supplies inspection for package integrity. They also carry out cycle counts, organize carts and cabinets, report for needed repairs, and manage the issuance of procedural carts and trays.

What does a distribution technician do?

A distribution technician has a variety of duties and responsibilities, including collecting and delivering materials, receiving documents, packages, and messages, and transporting them safely to their destination. Other tasks that you will likely perform include managing the inventory and completing data entry, preparing documentation and reports, and coordinating logistics for the shipment of products. Additional duties include providing quality service to customers and distributors, resolving inventory discrepancies, and collecting and updating customer information. You may also be tasked to conduct field and laboratory testing of construction materials.

Central supply technician vs distribution technician salary

Central supply technicians and distribution technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Central Supply Technician	Distribution Technician
Average salary	$35,231	$33,564
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Monterey, CA	Vallejo, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Mohawk Valley Health System	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	Media	Utilities

Differences between central supply technician and distribution technician education

There are a few differences between a central supply technician and a distribution technician in terms of educational background:

	Central Supply Technician	Distribution Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Central supply technician vs distribution technician demographics

Here are the differences between central supply technicians' and distribution technicians' demographics:

	Central Supply Technician	Distribution Technician
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%	Male, 70.8% Female, 29.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between central supply technician and distribution technician duties and responsibilities

Central supply technician example responsibilities.

Cataloge property, maintain property records and manage inventory using PBUSE system.
Assist home RN and hospice staff with ADL's.
Practice & enforce HIPPA patient privacy guidelines.
Order supplies, maintain records and compile information using Microsoft office such as word, excel, and PowerPoint.
Reconcile charges for outsource services to ensure patients are billed accurately.
Develop PowerPoint presentations that assist in supply management and logistics oversight.

Distribution technician example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of verifying incoming items and outgoing customer material release orders (MRO )
Manage and monitor KPI's, departmental metrics and ensure all checks and balances are in place.
Purchase raw materials in order to support manufacturing per MRP requirements.
Ensure office are neat, orderly and secure to meet FDA standards.
Utilize troubleshooting and problem-solving skills resolving conflicts/issues in item master and BOM data.
Load and unload trailers using RF scanner to ensure order/weight distribution accurate to customer order.

Central supply technician vs distribution technician skills

Common central supply technician skills

Patients, 18%
Sterile Processing, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
Infection Control, 8%
Surgery, 5%
Surgical Instruments, 5%

Common distribution technician skills

Patients, 12%
Computer System, 8%
Data Entry, 7%
Medical Equipment, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Basic Math, 4%

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Central Supply Technician
Central Supply Technician vs Distribution Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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