Health care is a business and, like every business, good management is essential to keep it running efficiently. Medical and health service managers (also known as healthcare administrators) plan, direct, coordinate, and supervise the daily delivery of health care.

Health service managers must be familiar with current management principles and practices. To make effective decisions, they need to be open to different opinions and be good at analyzing contradictory information. They must understand finance and information systems and know how to interpret data. Motivating others to implement their decisions requires strong leadership abilities. Diplomacy, flexibility, and communication skills are essential because medical and health service managers spend most of their time interacting with others.