Father inspired, but didn't influence son's medical career choice

But one thing the Sioux City gastroenterologist misses is the teaching component of medicine.

When he was a fellow, Michalak, 37, had residents and interns underneath him wanting to learn and do gastrointestinal procedures.

"Here I work with family practice residents, but it's not their dream to be a GI physician," he said. "It was great to see people who had the same passion that I did."

Michalak shares a passion for medicine with his father John "Jack" Michalak, an oncologist who practiced for 35 years. John Michalak, who retired in January 2013, served as medical director of the June E. Nylen Cancer Center.

As a child, Jeffrey Michalak fondly recalls visiting a small office his dad had on Pierce Street when his family first moved to town from Denver.

"Anytime we'd go out somewhere people would always come up to him and say, 'Thank you so much for taking care of my dad or my grandma,'" Michalak said as he sat in an exam room at Mercy Medical Center in between patients on a Monday afternoon. "That's what I got out of it. I wanted to help people, too."

When he was growing up, Michalak said his dad was known for having a great bedside manner.

"It takes a very special person to be an oncologist," he said.

Although he was a very busy man and didn't have a lot of time, Jeffrey Michalak said his dad would take him to indoor and outdoor volleyball tournaments. The duo also enjoyed playing a round of golf together.

Although the work John Michalak did inspired his son, Jeffrey Michalak said he never pushed him toward a medical career. He said he came to the decision on his own in high school when he really started appreciating what his father did for people.

"I didn't see him as much as I would've like to as a kid, but to see all of the positives that came about," he said. "That's when I started making sure I had all the criteria to go to college and to medical school."

When Michalak broke the news that he wanted to go to medical school to his dad, he said he was encouraging, but also offered words of caution.

"He actually said, 'Medicine's changing a little bit, so make sure it's something that you want to do because it's not going to be like it was when I came out and started," he recalled. "It's a little bit more business-oriented."

After high school, Jeffrey Michalak headed to Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. He thought he wanted to become a family practice physician, then realized he liked working with patients whose illnesses were more critical.

"I thought I wanted to do pulmonary critical care, but then I realized that managing ventilators was not something I necessarily enjoyed," he said. "But I did like sick folks -- liver failure, GI bleeding. Those folks in the ICU that I saw, I found myself honing in on."

John Michalak offered more valuable advice.

"Always make sure to tell the truth no matter what happens," Jeffrey Michalak recalled. "If you didn't do something, if you did do something, if you got asked to do something and you didn't because you're tired, you never lie. You just say, 'I didn't get to it. I didn't look at that chest X-ray yet. I'm so sorry.' Always be honest with everybody you work with."

Like his dad, Michalak finds his career rewarding. The father of two girls and two boys ages 2 to 12 finds balancing work and family time challenging at times.

"I always say, 'work hard to play hard,'" he said. "Would it be nice to get more sleep? Sure. It would be great! But I want to make sure that I'm there for my kids."

Michalak loves to play sports with his kids. He has coached volleyball and helped with softball, but soon realized he didn't have the time. None-the-less, Michalak learned the basics of fast-pitch softball, so he could practice with 12-year-old Kyla, who pitches.

"Anytime you commit to something, you give 100 percent. I didn't think that it was right to the kids if I was going to miss out on a few practices. I said, 'I can't do this anymore,'" he said.

Will there be a third generation of doctors in the Michalak family?

Jeffrey Michalak thinks Kyla has potential, but, like his dad, he's not going to influence her either way.

"My oldest daughter is very caring and loves people. She's made some references to me about possibly being a doctor or a veterinarian or something like that. She loves to help people as well," he said. "I try to put them down the right path and let them make the right decisions."