Merchandise planner vs certified medical technician

The differences between merchandise planners and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a merchandise planner, becoming a certified medical technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a merchandise planner has an average salary of $69,460, which is higher than the $38,859 average annual salary of a certified medical technician.

The top three skills for a merchandise planner include gross margin, strong analytical and math. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Merchandise planner vs certified medical technician overview

	Merchandise Planner	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$69,460	$38,859
Hourly rate	$33.39	$18.68
Growth rate	19%	5%
Number of jobs	32,301	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	12

What does a merchandise planner do?

A merchandise planner is responsible for monitoring the adequacy of stock inventories and requesting purchase orders by researching current market trends to meet customer demands. Merchandise planners assist with marketing campaigns and promotional offers of the business, selling goods and services to the customers based on their needs and budget requirements. They also write sales reports, inspect the validity of merchandise, and maintain an attractive visual display of items. A merchandise planner resolves and escalates customer complaints timely, processes replacements, and issues refunds as needed.

What does a certified medical technician do?

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.

Merchandise planner vs certified medical technician salary

Merchandise planners and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandise Planner	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$69,460	$38,859
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $102,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Pandora	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Retail	Health Care

Differences between merchandise planner and certified medical technician education

There are a few differences between a merchandise planner and a certified medical technician in terms of educational background:

	Merchandise Planner	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Merchandise planner vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between merchandise planners' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Merchandise Planner	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 37.1% Female, 62.9%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.1% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%

Differences between merchandise planner and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Merchandise planner example responsibilities.

Monitor and analyze planned assortments by door in order to achieve plan turn goals and ROI.
Manage purchase order logs to ensure plan receipts and IMU requirements are maintained in the department.
Complete training on the JDA planning and forecasting system to effectively manage the financial aspects of each department.
Implement and manage the E3 auto-replenishment system to optimize inventory levels of width-size shoes, core shoes and shoe accessories.
Manage product flow in apparel category; determining order quantities and generating purchase orders for new and replenishment orders.
Manage and maintain the OTB for specific departments by preparing forecasts, evaluating performance, and maximizing profitability while minimizing liabilities.

Certified medical technician example responsibilities.

Maintain the cleanliness of storage areas, trays, centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers and work area.
Administer medications to patients according to their medication record as scheduled, as needed according to physician orders.
Perform laboratory test and procedures in areas including chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, serology, and bacteriology.
Perform first aid and apply CPR when necessary.
Perform first aid or CPR during medical emergencies until paramedics arrive.
Assist the residents in their ADL needs and prepare their meals.

Merchandise planner vs certified medical technician skills

Common merchandise planner skills

Gross Margin, 8%
Strong Analytical, 7%
Math, 7%
Historical Data, 7%
Open-To-Buy, 6%
Apparel, 6%

Common certified medical technician skills

Patients, 17%
Vital Signs, 12%
CPR, 8%
Administer Medications, 7%
Resident Care, 6%
HIPAA, 6%

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Merchandise Planner vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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