Jean Lang was 20 years old and California dreaming when she moved to Orange County to start her career in 1966. Now, 60 years later, the retired nurse and health care technology executive is Manitoba beaming as she reflects with gratitude on the place “where it all started”.
Lang was born in Winnipeg, the sixth of Paul and Anna Lang’s seven children. She lived near the intersection of Inkster Boulevard and Powers Street in the north end and attended St. Joseph’s Parish School on College Avenue. The parish was central to the Lang family as all of the children sang in the church, their father served as choir director, and Lang’s great uncle was the parish priest. Hers was a happy childhood, rich with family and community activities.
For high school, Lang attended St. Mary’s Academy where a basketball injury led to a key career decision: “I injured my knee and had to make frequent medical visits for casting and re-casting,” recalls Lang. “Dr. David McQueen—my orthopedic surgeon—convinced me to go into nursing at Children’s Hospital after high school.”
Lang moved into the residence on the Bannatyne campus and began her three-year program at the hospital. Her rigorous training included three months at Winnipeg General Hospital, three months at the maternity pavilion, and three months in Brandon where she studied psychiatric nursing. “They treated us as if we were part of the nursing staff,” says Lang. “Within our first few months we had clinical assignments.”
After graduation, Lang worked in Winnipeg for six months, but had known all along that she wanted to move to California. Two of her siblings had already settled in Los Angeles, and adventure was calling (as was the beach!).
Lang moved to California with classmates Sandra Young (who is still in California) and Heather Lumsden (who moved back to Winnipeg). The three young nurses shared a car, an apartment, and the same shifts at the Orange County Medical Center (later known as UC Irvine Medical Center).
“Heather worked in the emergency department and Sandy worked in the hospital’s first coronary care unit; I worked in intensive care,” says Lang. “The experience reinforced how great our training had been in Manitoba because we were the strongest nurses in our areas. The only thing that held us back from fitting in completely was our Canadian accents!”
Not long after, Lang got married in Santa Barbara, then moved to San Jose where she had three children: Andrea and twin sons Mark and Steven. She also lived in Mendocino County in northern California (“I was actually inching my way back to Canada,” she laughs). Shortly thereafter, the family moved back to the southern part of the state where Lang continues to live today.
After her children were born, Lang returned to part-time intensive care nursing before pursuing a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts at the University of Redlands. Following graduation, she became a maternal child nurse, Lamaze educator, and community college instructor, having earned a lifetime credential for nursing education. She then enrolled at UC Davis, where she earned a master’s degree in health services administration.
With her children grown, Lang made a major career move in 1994 when she accepted a position with Pennsylvania-based Shared Medical Systems, a major software company which was later purchased by Siemens Medical Solutions. “I had a strong desire to understand computer technology, as it relates to health care, at a much deeper level,” she says. “I was looking for a company that would teach me everything I needed to know about technology, and they were looking for someone who understood health care the way I did. It was a great fit.”
As a consultant and later as an account executive based out of the company’s Los Angeles office, Lang helped her clients improve their performance, their systems, and their overall delivery of care. The job took her to almost every state in the country and she was especially excited near the end of her career when she was assigned the Hawaii account: “That was pretty sweet,” she says with a smile.
By 2012, Lang started to plan her “exit strategy” with an eye to retirement in 2014. Working with a financial advisor, Lang decided to make sure that charitable giving was part of the plan and ultimately decided to support the Health Sciences Centre Foundation, thereby joining the Bannatyne Legacy Circle. The gift to the Foundation will come from an insurance policy that Lang’s father bought for her when she was young. “It seemed like giving back to where it all started was the right thing to do,” she says. “It was full circle.”
Her decision was reinforced by her family’s many experiences with the hospital. Her late father received treatment there for his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, her brother-in-law was recently a patient, and her niece, Sandra Lang Donald—a member of the 100th nursing graduation class at HSC—continues to work at HSC as Manager of Health Services in the Renal Health Program. Lang has also attended a number of class reunions over the years and stays in touch with former classmates. “Whether I’m there or my family is there, HSC is still part of my life, still touching me,” she says.
In 2019, Lang moved to a 55+ community in Camarillo, California. Her life is active, fulfilling, and balanced. She enjoys connecting frequently with her children and their spouses (Andrea and Chad; Steven and Jamie; and Mark) and five grandchildren (Hana, Jacob, Noah, Isabella, and Avery). She participates three times a week in a water aerobics class and takes part in a daily meditative practice known as “Centering Prayer”. Every week, she leads one group in-person and participates in another on Zoom, while also volunteering at a retreat centre in Encino and another in Santa Barbara.
Through all of her activities and relationships, Jean Lang lives her life with gratitude: “I’ve had a great life and I’m grateful for all of it—every joy, every bump, every moment. And I’m still learning!”
