Central supply technician vs warehouse associate

The differences between central supply technicians and warehouse associates 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 $32,863 average annual salary of a warehouse associate.

The top three skills for a central supply technician include patients, sterile processing and customer service. The most important skills for a warehouse associate are pallets, work ethic, and customer service.

Central supply technician vs warehouse associate overview

	Central Supply Technician	Warehouse Associate
Yearly salary	$35,231	$32,863
Hourly rate	$16.94	$15.80
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	30,995	215,910
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 50%
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 warehouse associate do?

Warehouse associates are employees who take on any task needed at the company warehouse. They receive incoming deliveries, store the items in their proper places, scan the items to log them into the company system, manage stocks and inventory, conduct product inspection to check for damages or defects, and maintain the overall cleanliness of the warehouse. Warehouse associates are also responsible for receiving purchase orders, assembling and packing products related to orders, checking the accuracy of the products relative to the order, and ensuring proper shipment of the products.

Central supply technician vs warehouse associate salary

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

	Central Supply Technician	Warehouse Associate
Average salary	$35,231	$32,863
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	Monterey, CA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	California	North Dakota
Best paying company	Mohawk Valley Health System	Uline
Best paying industry	Media	Manufacturing

Differences between central supply technician and warehouse associate education

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

	Central Supply Technician	Warehouse Associate
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 36%	High School Diploma, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Central supply technician vs warehouse associate demographics

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

	Central Supply Technician	Warehouse Associate
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%	Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%
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, 10.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between central supply technician and warehouse associate 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.

Warehouse associate example responsibilities.

Rotate stock by code and receiving date - FIFO.
Create and ship documents for customs using DHL software.
Utilize RF gun for scanning duties include closing out invoices and assigning load plans.
Perform all tasks according to OSHA regulations and also attend daily safety tool box meetings.
Utilize a hand-held RF unit to select products/quantities for retail orders in a high volume warehouse.
Require consistent heavy lifting, math skills (primarily measurements), and fierce attention to detail.

Central supply technician vs warehouse associate skills

Common central supply technician skills

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

Common warehouse associate skills

Pallets, 15%
Work Ethic, 12%
Customer Service, 8%
Basic Math, 7%
Warehouse Environment, 5%
Math, 4%

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Central Supply Technician
Central Supply Technician vs Warehouse Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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