Health care is a family affair for two generations of a Hokah, Minn., clan who credit their Catholic background for their gravitation to the healing arts.

The three daughters and son of Martin and Kathleen Scholze chose various jobs in the medical profession, and three still work at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse.

They landed in the medical field on their own, as their late father was a draftsman for the Trane Co. for 33 years and their mother, who lives in a nursing home in Caledonia, Minn., was a homemaker.

Part of it is with our Catholic heritage, our background, we have a desire to care for people, to take care of people in need, said Jenifer Schiltz, 53, of Caledonia, an RN and a surgery nurse supervisor at Mayo-Franciscan.

Back when we were getting our education, we knew ongoing education was important, Schiltz said. At that time, nursing was thought to be a good job.

That as proved to be true, the siblings agree, with Schiltz noting, Its a privilege to take care of patients who are vulnerable because of illness and unplanned hospitalization. They are trusting us with their care.

Schiltzs sister Sheila Bolduan, 55, also of Caledonia, is an RN in metabolic support services and a nutritionist, while their brother, Jim Scholze of Hokah, is an X-ray technician. The clans oldest, 57-year-old Michelle Rifenberg of La Crescent, was a medical technologist.

They havent put all of their eggs in one basket, either. Rifenberg worked at Mayo and Gundersen Health System before becoming a Republican Minnesota state legislator representing Houston, Winona and Fillmore counties and now is a homemaker.

Sheilas son Patrick is in facilities maintenance at Gundersen, and Jims daughter Taylor is a certified nursing assistant at Gundersen and a nursing student at Viterbo University.

Whats more, Sheila has two daughters who also are RNs at Mayo Maribeth, a technician in neurodiagnostics and sleep disorders, and Anne Felten, in the family birthing center and Jenifers daughter MaryEllen is a medical receptionist.

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Health care runs in the family