Central supply technician vs inventory control specialist

The differences between central supply technicians and inventory control specialists 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 $34,507 average annual salary of an inventory control specialist.

The top three skills for a central supply technician include patients, sterile processing and customer service. The most important skills for an inventory control specialist are customer service, inventory control procedures, and work ethic.

Central supply technician vs inventory control specialist overview

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Control Specialist
Yearly salary	$35,231	$34,507
Hourly rate	$16.94	$16.59
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	30,995	107,710
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 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 an inventory control specialist do?

Inventory control specialist ensures company inventory is accurate in all levels to increase the company's profitability. The specialist should maintain stable stocks and should manage the procurement of inventories. He/She or she is responsible for managing the flow of inventory in and out together with the shipment, package, and the storage activities then record them accurately for audits and reporting to the management. Specialists are often employed by various industries. They usually work in warehouses or in local retail locations.

Central supply technician vs inventory control specialist salary

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

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Control Specialist
Average salary	$35,231	$34,507
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $23,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Monterey, CA	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Mohawk Valley Health System	JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Best paying industry	Media	Technology

Differences between central supply technician and inventory control specialist education

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

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Control Specialist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 31%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Central supply technician vs inventory control specialist demographics

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

	Central Supply Technician	Inventory Control Specialist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%
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, 9.8% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 7.0% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between central supply technician and inventory control specialist 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 control specialist example responsibilities.

Generate and manage ammunition records within an oracle database.
Participate in material management meetings, offering information on processing of depot support manage items.
Train new users on DMLSS, GSA, DOD Emall, and ECAT sites.
Load ups and fed ex grind.
Research and compiles information to develop the BOM.
Produce monthly PowerPoint presentation for management meeting recapping sales highlights of the month.

Central supply technician vs inventory control specialist skills

Common central supply technician skills

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

Common inventory control specialist skills

Customer Service, 18%
Inventory Control Procedures, 10%
Work Ethic, 6%
Sales Floor, 6%
Safety Standards, 5%
Stock Merchandise, 5%

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Central Supply Technician
Central Supply Technician vs Inventory Control Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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