Emma Arden ’12 and Tyler Dierke ’13 Found a Home After Kenyon at Epic
By Matt Mandel '19
Upon graduation, Emma Arden ’12 and Tyler Dierke ’13 began working for Epic, a medical software developer based out of Verona, Wisconsin, about 15 miles outside of Madison.
Founded in 1979, Epic was named after the genre of epic poetry, which recounts the events of a nation. Like the Iliad or the Odyssey, its electronic health records chronicle the story of a patient's healthcare over time, according to its website. Over 250 million patients have a current medical record with a healthcare organization using Epic. Its software is used in a wide variety of health organizations, including large health systems like Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic; and its software creates consistency in a patient’s visit to the doctor. If you visit a doctor in one place and they enter your information into Epic, then when you visit a doctor at another place they can also access those records — and the more information your doctor has, the better.
Arden, a neuroscience major when at Kenyon, is a project manager in software implementation where she partners with healthcare organizations installing Epic’s systems. Her day-to-day work varies over the course of a software installation project — from meeting with clinicians to giving demos and trainings to helping design the system in the early stages and then troubleshooting technical issues as they arise. Her job requires her to travel — she is currently working on an international project that will have an impact on healthcare for an entire Canadian province. The assignments are engaging and the responsibility levels are high. That is something that Arden appreciates, and she recommends that Kenyon students consider working for Epic because it’s a challenge right out of the gate.
“You’ll be taking ownership and leading meetings right away, which is a great amount of responsibility and also a huge opportunity to learn, grow, and make an impact,” Arden explained. “It’s also a fun place to work! The buildings on campus are themed. I’ve had offices in Heaven, the Shed, and Oz, for example, and that is reflective of the company culture. There are also fun benefits like sabbatical, which you earn after working at the company for 5 years. I was able to take a month off to travel around Australia and New Zealand,” she said.
Arden landed at Epic after learning about it in a session with her career advisor at Kenyon’s Career Development Office. She was interested in project management, and the more she learned about Epic’s company culture and opportunities, the more interested she became.
When she first started at Epic, Arden found that time management was a soft skill she was able to immediately apply to her work. “Having to juggle a day full of meetings and email was much easier after completing a full course load and comps,” she shared. “I also think having a liberal arts background, in general, is helpful when working with different groups of people — keeping an open mind and trying to put yourself in someone else’s shoes as they experience changes to their day-to-day workflow is important,” she said.
Dierke, who majored in mathematics, works in technical support for Epic. When a client’s IT team cannot determine a solution to a problem within Epic’s software, he steps in to help. He has intimate and deep knowledge of the software’s features as well as the code base for the product. Dierke not only assists the customer IT teams with “post-live” implementation but also works as a liaison to Epic’s Research & Development team to create fixes and enhancements to the software.
Becoming employed by Epic was relatively straight-forward for Dierke. After posting his resume on a number of career-searching websites, Epic emailed him about an opening in the technical services division and he applied. After going through their rigorous, multi-stage application process, including numerous tests and interviews, he received an offer and accepted.
When applying for full-time positions for the first time, Dierke found that his resume didn’t have to perfectly fit the position for which he was applying. “Any job you take on will undoubtedly be very different from your educational years, and much of what you’ll use day to day will actually be learned on the job,” he said. “It’s more important to communicate a wide variety of experiences to show depth and the ability to adapt.”
When reflecting on the type of people that thrive at Epic, Dierke shared,“Epic does a remarkable job of employing a lot of very smart, motivated people. I can’t imagine finding another company with a higher percentage of absolutely great co-workers.”
Epic stands out as an employer that provides a vibrant work culture. The software developer helps its employees excel through ongoing learning at biannual shark weeks where the entire company dedicates time to learning skills and other information that normal day-to-day work prevents. It also offers supportive and encouraging mentorship from colleagues; professional ownership of the projects employees work on; and the freedom to make important decisions regarding key projects. Epic boasts a cubicle-free environment, personal offices for everyone, and a campus that fosters creativity, teamwork and innovation. The company allows its employees immersive experiences in new countries while improving healthcare around the world. Epic has 70+ clubs so that employees can connect over common hobbies and interests, be active on campus through bike rides, working in the community garden, or skating and sledding together. It’s also worth noting that the company features an award-winning culinary team.
As great as Epic is, there are still things about Kenyon that these two alums long for. Arden misses eating in Peirce Dining Hall and Dierke misses the walk down to the Kenyon Athletic Center. “The walk was always a nice, leisurely transition from academic to athletic life. Nowadays, driving to and from the gym and work just isn’t the same,” he said.
Epic has a number of job listings open now. Students interested in opportunities like Epic should reach out to Joshua Lisko, Assistant Director for Career Development at lisko1@kenyon.edu.