Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between medical supply technicians and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical supply technician, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a certified medical technician has an average salary of $38,859, which is higher than the $38,049 average annual salary of a medical supply technician.
The top three skills for a medical supply technician include sterile processing, veterans and patients. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.
| Medical Supply Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $38,049 | $38,859 |
| Hourly rate | $18.29 | $18.68 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 79,321 | 164,424 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
A medical supply technician works at medical facilities where they are primarily in charge of sterilizing instruments and equipment, delivering in a timely and efficient manner. Part of their job is to run sterile tests according to protocols and health standards, monitor and maintain inventory records, and place orders to ensure adequate stock of medical supplies. There are also instances when they must liaise with suppliers, oversee the shipment of orders, and resolve issues should any arise.
Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms. They must also understand how to use complex and sensitive testing equipment such as cell counters, analyzers, microscopes, and centrifuges.
Medical supply technicians and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Supply Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average salary | $38,049 | $38,859 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $50,000 | Between $28,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | West Haven, CT | Denton, TX |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Alaska |
| Best paying company | General Dynamics | Favorite Healthcare Staffing |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical supply technician and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:
| Medical Supply Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 28% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | SUNY Stony Brook | University of Connecticut |
Here are the differences between medical supply technicians' and certified medical technicians' demographics:
| Medical Supply Technician | Certified Medical Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 8.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 15.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 10.0% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 8% |