Man Follows in Sister and Mom’s Footsteps as He Matches to OBGYN Residency. Why They’re 'Scared' About His Future (Exclusive)

• On Monday, March 17, Jake Schoeneman found out he matched into a residency program in his chosen specialty, OBGYN.
• The final-year medical student was inspired to work in the field by his mom, Stacie, and sister, Shandi, who are both OBGYN nurses at the same hospital.
• Jake will be completing his four-year residency in Florida, but eventually he would love an opportunity to work with his family members at home in Utah.

Jake Schoeneman might be moving away from home to start working this summer, but he's still joining the family business. The final year medical student is joining his mom and sister in the field of saving lives and ushering new life into the world.

On Monday, March 17, Jake learned that he'd matched into a residency program in his chosen specialty, OBGYN. The 29-year-old was with his family at their home in Utah later that week, when he learned he'd be following his dreams at the University of Florida, Pensacola. Jake's mom, Stacie, and his sister, Shandi — both OBGYN nurses at the same hospital — were there to celebrate his Match Day results.

Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively, Stacie, 54, admits she "had no idea" how much went into the residency application and match process, despite her years of experience in the medical field. Watching her son go through it all, she realized that nothing is guaranteed, even after interviews at various hospitals and years of medical schooling and exams. Coming to realize that uncertainty makes her even prouder of Jake.

"As a mother, you're just relieved when you get to see your children do the things that they wanted to do," Stacie recalls to PEOPLE exclusively. "He was just so anxious and nervous, it's like the night before Christmas. It was such a relief on Monday just to know he matched."

Meanwhile, Shandi, 33, was "shocked" upon hearing Jake was accepted into an OBGYN program, but not because she didn't have faith in her brother's abilities.

"You don't picture your brother being an OBGYN," she admits to PEOPLE. "But I was super proud of him. It was kind of surreal."

Shandi and Stacie are technically co-workers, though they're never actually on the job together. They're both nurses on the same unit, but Stacie is a charge nurse, and their hospital's policy prohibits the mom from leading her child in the workplace. To prevent their shifts from overlapping, Shandi splits her time between her mom's same unit and spends the other half of her time flight nursing for OBGYN.

Given that Jake has watched his mom and sister work as closely as possible in their shared field, it's no surprise that watching them sparked his initial interest in the specialty.

"They definitely were the inspiration and the springboard to get things started, and I was following in their footsteps this whole time," says Jake, who is wrapping up his time at Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine in his home state. "Now I'm excited to kind of start my own journey in the process and in the world of OBGYN in a new state, new place."

He adds that he was drawn to Florida specifically for his four-year residency because of its underserved population. "I knew that my skills really aligned with what I wanted to be able to do to help the population," Jake tells PEOPLE.

Eventually, Jake says he'd like to return to Utah after he finishes training on the East Coast. He's looking forward to a potential "full circle moment" of coming home and joining his mom and sister.

"If I was lucky enough that they would be around to show me the ropes, they know a lot more than I do, so I know their experience would make me a better doctor for sure, if I got to work with them," Jake reflects. "But I know there's no guarantees, there's no guarantee in medicine."

As much as his mom and sister would welcome that same opportunity, Stacie and Shandi share a certain trepidation when they think of Jake's future in the field. Shandi points out that they're not blind to the realities of the field, including the hardships of labor, delivery, fertility and women's health on a broader scale. In some ways, the big sister says she was "almost scared" for Jake upon hearing his good news on Match Day.

"OB is the highest highs and the lowest of lows, and you work in some super complicated situations and things like that," she continues. "It was just like, 'Oh, that's my little brother.' Being a little bit protective [of] him."

Stacie agrees with her daughter, noting, "Quite honestly, at first we tried to talk him out of it. It's hard though, because when you recognize it's what you love, it's what you love. And I understand that feeling."

As excited for Jake as she was, it's easy for the mom to weigh all that she's been through from a nurse's perspective. She knew his future would be full of tough call times with surgeries performed in the middle of the night. She's witnessed and experienced the "most heartbreaking moments" when tragedy happens in the operating room, especially when it happens to expecting parents.

Stacie's experience also grants her insight into what makes a good OBGYN doctor, and she says it's clear that Jake's personality fits the specialty.

"He's a very kind and compassionate man and relates to people well. He is able to connect with people and make them feel comfortable," his mom explains. "I just knew that all those skills we're going to serve him well in whatever he chooses to do, but in particular in that capacity."

And she recognizes the undeniable joy of "being there when a baby is born." Stacie herself has, on rare occasion, delivered a child because there was no attending doctor present or available.

"It's just something you can't even describe when you get to bring that baby up and give it to the parents to meet for the first time," she remembers. "To be a part of so many intimate and special moments in people's lives, it's just indescribable and [I'm] so excited for him to be able to experience that."