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Medical supply technician vs sterile preparation technician

The differences between medical supply technicians and sterile preparation technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a medical supply technician and a sterile preparation technician. Additionally, a sterile preparation technician has an average salary of $43,124, 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 sterile preparation technician are chemotherapy, , and .

Medical supply technician vs sterile preparation technician overview

Medical Supply TechnicianSterile Preparation Technician
Yearly salary$38,049$43,124
Hourly rate$18.29$20.73
Growth rate1%-
Number of jobs79,32111,057
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 29%High School Diploma, 33%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

Medical supply technician vs sterile preparation technician salary

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

Medical Supply TechnicianSterile Preparation Technician
Average salary$38,049$43,124
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $50,000Between $25,000 And $74,000
Highest paying CityWest Haven, CT-
Highest paying stateConnecticut-
Best paying companyGeneral Dynamics-
Best paying industryGovernment-

Differences between medical supply technician and sterile preparation technician education

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

Medical Supply TechnicianSterile Preparation Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 29%High School Diploma, 33%
Most common majorBusinessPharmacy
Most common collegeSUNY Stony BrookHoward University

Medical supply technician vs sterile preparation technician demographics

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

Medical Supply TechnicianSterile Preparation Technician
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 62.4% Female, 37.6%Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratioBlack 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, 17.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between medical supply technician and sterile preparation technician duties and responsibilities

Medical supply technician example responsibilities.

  • Cataloge property, maintain property records and manage inventory using PBUSE system.
  • Heat liable items are gas sterilize using ETO gas sterilizer and Sterrad sterilizer.
  • Perform biological testing for the steam and sterrad each day.
  • Maintain the sterilizers and conduct flash sterilization/IUSS whenever necessary.
  • Monitor performance of sterilizers for quality control by conducting bacteriological tests.
  • Implement new policy and procedure for surgical graphs requiring re-sterilization to reduce problems for patients.
  • Show more

Sterile preparation technician example responsibilities.

  • Sterilize instruments, assist doctors in operations, interact with parents and patients on a regular basis
  • Handle multiple centrifuges to spin down, and then as well pour off and separate specimens to their correct department.

Medical supply technician vs sterile preparation technician skills

Common medical supply technician skills
  • Sterile Processing, 14%
  • Veterans, 11%
  • Patients, 10%
  • Surgical Instruments, 9%
  • Sterilizers, 8%
  • Medical Terminology, 8%
Common sterile preparation technician skills
  • Chemotherapy, 100%

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