What does a medical supply technician do?
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.
Medical supply technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real medical supply technician resumes:
- 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.
- Coordinate with depot item managers, program engineers and system program managers to resolve procurement bottleneck problems and expedite requisitions.
- Handle multiple centrifuges to spin down, and then as well pour off and separate specimens to their correct department.
Medical supply technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Medical Supply Technicians are proficient in Sterile Processing, Veterans, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Medical Supply Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Sterile Processing, 14%
Experienced in all aspects of sterile processing and instrument assembly procedures
- Veterans, 11%
Sterilize medical instruments for Veterans at Austin Outpatient clinic.
- Patients, 10%
Protected patients and employees by adhering to infection-control and hazardous waste policies and protocols; following identification procedures.
- Surgical Instruments, 9%
Monitored biological and chemical wash solution to ensure quality and consistency for decontamination of surgical instruments and medical equipment.
- Sterilizers, 8%
Operated gas (EtO) and steam sterilizers, monitored biological indicators and daily function testing in instrument preparation area.
- Medical Terminology, 8%
Utilized knowledge of medical terminology and anatomy, as well as commonly performed surgical procedures, and the instrumentation utilized.
Common skills that a medical supply technician uses to do their job include "sterile processing," "veterans," and "patients." You can find details on the most important medical supply technician responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a medical supply technician to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what medical supply technicians do because "production, planning, and expediting clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, and production managers and need to communicate the firm’s scheduling needs effectively." Additionally, a medical supply technician resume shows how medical supply technicians use communication skills: "maintain line of communication between clinics and logistics. "
Customer-service skills. Many medical supply technician duties rely on customer-service skills. "stock clerks sometimes interact with customers in retail stores and may have to get the item the customer is looking for from the storeroom.," so a medical supply technician will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways medical supply technician responsibilities rely on customer-service skills: "deployed forward logistics concept to multiple customer accounts. "
Detail oriented. medical supply technicians are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to medical supply technician responsibilities, because "material and product inspecting clerks check items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." A medical supply technician resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "keep accurate counts and details of surgical equipment and supplies. "
Math skills. medical supply technician responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "some material recording clerks use math to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." This resume example shows what medical supply technicians do with math skills on a typical day: "collected and assessed statistics pertaining to the improvement of customer service practices; presented data to management. "
The three companies that hire the most medical supply technicians are:
- Indian Health Service5 medical supply technicians jobs
- Healthcare Resolution Services3 medical supply technicians jobs
- Providence Service2 medical supply technicians jobs
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Compare different medical supply technicians
Medical supply technician vs. Oxygen equipment aide
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between medical supply technicians and oxygen equipment aide. For instance, medical supply technician responsibilities require skills such as "sterile processing," "veterans," "patients," and "surgical instruments." Whereas a oxygen equipment aide is skilled in "medical gases," "medical equipment," "dirty equipment," and "infection control procedures." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Oxygen equipment aides tend to reach lower levels of education than medical supply technicians. In fact, oxygen equipment aides are 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Medical supply technician vs. Sterilizer operator
Each career also uses different skills, according to real medical supply technician resumes. While medical supply technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "sterile processing," "veterans," "patients," and "surgical instruments," sterilizer operators use skills like "sops," "gmp," "cip," and "apa."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Sterilizer operators tend to reach similar levels of education than medical supply technicians. In fact, they're 4.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical supply technician vs. Oxygen equipment preparer
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from medical supply technician resumes include skills like "sterile processing," "veterans," "patients," and "medical terminology," whereas an oxygen equipment preparer is more likely to list skills in "equipment operation," "medical equipment," "hospital locations," and "kitchen prep. "
Oxygen equipment preparers typically earn similar educational levels compared to medical supply technicians. Specifically, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Medical supply technician vs. Can sterilizer
Types of medical supply technician
Updated January 8, 2025
