Central supply technician vs sterile technician

The differences between central supply technicians and sterile technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sterile technician has an average salary of $35,347, which is higher than the $35,231 average annual salary of a central supply technician.

The top three skills for a central supply technician include patients, sterile processing and customer service. The most important skills for a sterile technician are patients, aseptic technique, and patient care.

Central supply technician vs sterile technician overview

	Central Supply Technician	Sterile Technician
Yearly salary	$35,231	$35,347
Hourly rate	$16.94	$16.99
Growth rate	1%	8%
Number of jobs	30,995	30,250
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 27%
Average age	38	43
Years of experience	-	2

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 sterile technician do?

In the medical industry, a sterile technician is in charge of cleaning and sterilizing surgical and medical tools and devices. They must also operate and organize equipment, monitor the inventory of supplies, maintain official records, coordinate with staff, transport supplies, and keep the cleanliness of different operating areas, decontaminating them to maintain a safe and healthy workflow. Furthermore, a sterile technician must set-up and prepare equipment for procedures, all while adhering to the facility's safety policies and regulations.

Central supply technician vs sterile technician salary

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

	Central Supply Technician	Sterile Technician
Average salary	$35,231	$35,347
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Monterey, CA	Daly City, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Mohawk Valley Health System	Zoetis
Best paying industry	Media	Pharmaceutical

Differences between central supply technician and sterile technician education

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

	Central Supply Technician	Sterile Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 27%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Central supply technician vs sterile technician demographics

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

	Central Supply Technician	Sterile Technician
Average age	38	43
Gender ratio	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%	Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 9.3% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	9%

Differences between central supply technician and sterile 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.

Sterile technician example responsibilities.

Fill or prepare documentation assuring compliance with FDA, GMPIS, JIBIS, OSHA and other internal or external regulation.
Operate steam autoclaves for sterilizing instruments according to OSHA guidelines.
Provide great customer service to patients by delivering equipment need per nurse/physician request.
Experience in gas plasma, eto, steam sterilization.
Act as company leader of validation, instrumentation, PLC validation/control and FDA regulations.
Perform work assignments in all areas of SPD as well as numerous locations throughout the hospital.

Central supply technician vs sterile technician skills

Common central supply technician skills

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

Common sterile technician skills

Patients, 15%
Aseptic Technique, 11%
Patient Care, 10%
Surgical Instruments, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Instrument Trays, 5%

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Central Supply Technician
Central Supply Technician vs Sterile Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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