Purchasing assistant vs certified medical technician

The differences between purchasing assistants and certified medical technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a purchasing assistant, 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 $38,331 average annual salary of a purchasing assistant.

The top three skills for a purchasing assistant include purchase orders, purchase requisitions and customer service. The most important skills for a certified medical technician are patients, vital signs, and CPR.

Purchasing assistant vs certified medical technician overview

	Purchasing Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Yearly salary	$38,331	$38,859
Hourly rate	$18.43	$18.68
Growth rate	-8%	5%
Number of jobs	8,415	164,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	6	12

What does a purchasing assistant do?

A purchasing assistant is responsible for obtaining raw materials and goods for a business or company. They primarily function to assist purchasing managers or supervisors by keeping records, maintaining inventory, reviewing purchase orders, and monitoring shipments and deliveries. Furthermore, a purchasing assistant may perform administrative support tasks ranging from arranging appointments and managing schedules, answering calls and inquiries, reaching out to vendors and suppliers, producing reports, and coordinating with various departments to ensure the smooth flow of products within the company.

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.

Purchasing assistant vs certified medical technician salary

Purchasing assistants and certified medical technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Purchasing Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Average salary	$38,331	$38,859
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $47,000	Between $28,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	Baltimore, MD	Denton, TX
Highest paying state	Maryland	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Favorite Healthcare Staffing
Best paying industry	Technology	Health Care

Differences between purchasing assistant and certified medical technician education

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

	Purchasing Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Connecticut

Purchasing assistant vs certified medical technician demographics

Here are the differences between purchasing assistants' and certified medical technicians' demographics:

	Purchasing Assistant	Certified Medical Technician
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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	7%	8%

Differences between purchasing assistant and certified medical technician duties and responsibilities

Purchasing assistant example responsibilities.

Manage RFP process and play a key role in minimizing the cost of printing.
Schedule and manage new product trials, liaise with vendors, surgeons and specialty coordinators.
Manage activities of purchasing, production planning and scheduling, inventory management, warehousing and logistics.
Master point of service (POS) computer system for automate order taking.
Input of purchase orders into ERP system, order acknowledgments, follow-up, and expedition of orders.
Prepare purchase orders using MRP, inspect incoming shipments for quality, and attend press checks for production approval.

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.

Purchasing assistant vs certified medical technician skills

Common purchasing assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 30%
Purchase Requisitions, 18%
Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 8%
Logistics, 3%
POS, 2%

Common certified medical technician skills

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

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Purchasing Assistant
Purchasing Assistant vs Certified Medical Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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