Central supply technician vs supply specialist

The differences between central supply technicians and supply specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a supply specialist has an average salary of $39,791, 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 supply specialist are customer service, logistical support, and safety regulations.

Central supply technician vs supply specialist overview

	Central Supply Technician	Supply Specialist
Yearly salary	$35,231	$39,791
Hourly rate	$16.94	$19.13
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	30,995	27,197
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
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 supply specialist do?

A supply specialist is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of equipment and supplies, including quality maintenance and securing storage of merchandise. Supply specialists manage order requests, verify shipment details, and perform data entry tasks such as updating the database for incoming and outgoing supplies. They should be highly analytical, inspecting the items for any defects and malfunctions, and immediately processing replacement and new stock issuance. A supply specialist should follow the safety protocols at all times to avoid operational hazards and any possible delays.

Central supply technician vs supply specialist salary

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

	Central Supply Technician	Supply Specialist
Average salary	$35,231	$39,791
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $25,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Monterey, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Mohawk Valley Health System	TALENT Software Services
Best paying industry	Media	Manufacturing

Differences between central supply technician and supply specialist education

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

	Central Supply Technician	Supply Specialist
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Central supply technician vs supply specialist demographics

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

	Central Supply Technician	Supply Specialist
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%	Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6%
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, 11.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 7.2% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between central supply technician and supply 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.

Supply specialist example responsibilities.

Dispatch vehicles, maintains dispatch records, trip tickets and records in logbooks, manage the GSA vehicle fleet of vehicles.
Complete BCT and AIT, laid pipelines for F.S.S.P.
Remove hazardous spills/wastes; ensure compliance with EPA and OSHA regulations.
Establish and maintain a file system for the section in accordance with DOD standards.
Collect and prepare payroll and minimum manning information for EDI data-entry inputs and reporting to DoD.
Assemble and develop training and lesson plans for the unit to gain knowledge of the importance of CSDP.

Central supply technician vs supply specialist skills

Common central supply technician skills

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

Common supply specialist skills

Customer Service, 16%
Logistical Support, 9%
Safety Regulations, 9%
Financial Management Procedures, 6%
Inventory Control, 6%
Inventory Management, 5%

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Central Supply Technician
Central Supply Technician vs Supply Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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