Central supply technician vs inventory clerk

The differences between central supply technicians and inventory clerks 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 $32,666 average annual salary of an inventory clerk.

The top three skills for a central supply technician include patients, sterile processing and customer service. The most important skills for an inventory clerk are customer service, data entry, and inventory control.

Central supply technician vs inventory clerk overview

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Clerk
Yearly salary	$35,231	$32,666
Hourly rate	$16.94	$15.70
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	30,995	204,051
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 38%
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 an inventory clerk do?

Inventory clerks or inventory control clerks manage and maintain all inventory coming in and out. They ensure that the items are stored and stocked in their proper places. They have to train less experienced clerks as well as prepare balance and shortage reports. They also need to report any stock issues, place orders when necessary, prepare a list of lacking products, and take note of unusable items. A good inventory clerk must be detail-oriented, organized, and have relevant experience in inventory control.

Central supply technician vs inventory clerk salary

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

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Clerk
Average salary	$35,231	$32,666
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Monterey, CA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Mohawk Valley Health System	BD
Best paying industry	Media	Technology

Differences between central supply technician and inventory clerk education

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

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Clerk
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Central supply technician vs inventory clerk demographics

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

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Clerk
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%	Male, 51.4% Female, 48.6%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 7.0% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between central supply technician and inventory clerk 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.

Inventory clerk example responsibilities.

Use ERP system on a daily basis to accurately move and manage finish goods throughout the plant into inventory.
Manage incoming delivery of all FedEx and containers containing serviceable material.
Receive in POs and transfers.
Maintain complete update purchasing records/data and pricing in the system POS.
Reconcile receipts from travel expenses, material and employee payday loan log to AS400 reports.
Key in and verify invoices using the AS400 system coming from various shops and terminals worldwide.

Central supply technician vs inventory clerk skills

Common central supply technician skills

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

Common inventory clerk skills

Customer Service, 15%
Data Entry, 11%
Inventory Control, 9%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Cycle Counts, 6%
Shipping Receiving, 5%

Central Supply Technician vs. similar jobs

Central Supply Technician related careers

Central Supply Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Central Supply Technician
Central Supply Technician vs Inventory Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs