Dr. Alicia Majkrzak (pronounced MY shack) comes from a family of engineers—including her dad, her brother, and several of her dad's brothers. But when her dad tried to persuade her to join the gang, Dr. Majkrzak said: Thanks, but no thanks.
"Engineering was just too mechanical for me," she says. "I was a nursing assistant in high school, and I found that I really liked taking care of people. But I do like to physically ‘do’ things, too, and with ob/gyn, I can do surgery and procedures that are personally satisfying to me."
For Dr. Majkrzak, ob/gyn is the perfect blend of patient care and problem solving: "I like the personal side because I'm pretty outgoing. And I think that I'm compassionate. But maybe the best word for me is understanding; I'm always trying to think of things from my patients' perspective—to help me understand where they're coming from and how to make the best decisions with them."
As for problem solving, Dr. Majkrzak says today's same-day, minimally invasive surgery has made a world of difference, especially for women who suffer from heavy perimenopausal bleeding. "Often the patients are women in their forties, who can't leave the house because of this problem," she says. "You feel so satisfied when you can make such a big difference in their lives so quickly and easily."
During her time off, Dr. Majkrzak spends time with husband, Jeremy, son Walter, and yellow Lab, Otis. "Walter and Otis are the dynamic duo!" she says. "A perfect day for us is to be up north at the lake, taking boat rides and spending time on the beach, followed by grilling and a bonfire. At home, she loves to grow flowers—tulips, Gerbera daisies, and hydrangeas—and just enough vegetables to make salsa. "Don't say that I'm a GOOD gardener," she says with a laugh. "Just that I like it!"
Dr. Majkrzak joined Southdale Ob/Gyn right after she completed her residency at the University of Minnesota—and she can't say enough good things about it. "This clinic always tries to do the right thing—to always make the right decision for our patients. We're not motivated by money, or by what the insurance companies are telling us to do, or by what the hospitals are telling us to do.
"It's so supportive here, both for the people who work here and for the patients. I wouldn't work anywhere else."