April Kepner, M.D. (“Why Does April Kepner Leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’?” Closer Weekly, www.closerweekly.com/posts/why-does-april-kepner-leave-156139/.)

By: Lok Yan Leung

From her first appearance as a transfer resident from the merger of Mercy West and Seattle Grace Hospital, to her confident leadership around her very own emergency department, April Kepner has surely made quite the change of character.

While I am not a seasoned watcher, I have seen April’s dramatic rise from an overthinking and anxious resident to a confident attending doctors.

Getting Fired and Hired?

Upon her arrival at Seattle Grace, viewers likely perceived her as an “awkward intruder” among their normal characters—Meredith Grey, Alex Karev, Cristina Yang, and so on.

On her first night of service, she was partnered with Dr. Derek Shepherd, who most fans call McDreamy. During that first night, there was a massive influx of trauma from a massive hotel fire. The fire brought in burn victim after burn victim, who ranged from conscious and responding to fighting for their life on a gurney. 

April was assigned to a mother and her young son, with the mother complaining of burns in different areas of her body. After a brief examination and friendly interaction with the pair, she was just about to examine her airway for soot. However, she was distracted by a severely burned man and dismissed the patient after helping her with her few burns.

Not long after, the patient entered cardiac arrest from respiratory distress from the soot, killing her even after extraordinary measures taken by the staff. April was immediately removed from the staff by Chief Webber. 

Despite her sudden withdrawal, she was soon reintroduced when Dr. Shepherd became chief and rehired her.

Life With the Other Residents

April, having grown up on a farm with Christian parents, is incredibly religious and has her own set of beliefs. This often isolated her out from the typical, “foolish,” residents who would had networks of romantic relationships with one another, to the point where no one could keep track of who has dated whom. In contrast, April was more of an independent and anxious person. She stayed out of romantic relationships, kept herself organized, and was very uptight as a colleague. Her seemingly odd personality made her the subject of bullying throughout her residency, being called numerous names for not fitting into the crowd.

The Shooting

In the traditional Grey’s-style season 6 finale, Mr. Clark, who had lost his wife under the care of Dr. Shepherd, intruded the hospital, armed with a gun. April was the first one to discover that her best friend, Dr. Reed, had been shot dead in the supply closet. Covered in blood after slipping over her best friend’s body, she rushed to Dr. Shepard’s office, barely speaking, choking on her own words. As a viewer, I found this a stark marker of her personality and response to stress. Seeing April mute, with a disturbed expression written all over her face, revealed her uptight reaction to stress, which made me very frustrated when she had to initiate the lockdown of the hospital.

However, April’s character took a 360-degree turn when she found herself face-to-face with Mr. Clark on the infamous hospital bridge. Gun in hand, he had just shot Dr. Shepard and aimed the weapon at April. 

Her Moment 

At that very moment, she began her famous dialogue. “My name is April Kepner. I am 28 years old. I was born on April 23rd in Ohio…I am from Columbus, Ohio. I have three sisters, Libby’s the oldest, I’m next, and then Kimmy and Alice(…) I am someone’s child. I am someone’s child! I’ve barely lived!”

Instead of crumbling or muting because of stress, April spat out facts about herself, from her pets to her family, to make herself more “human” towards the shooter. 

This was the first scene in which April’s words didn’t come from her fear but her survival instinct and intellect. This very moment marked her rise as a resident and doctor, as she was able to handle highly stressful situations without silencing herself or shutting others out.

While her story is inspirational and long, I believe that this was the very moment viewers first saw April as more than just a nervous and overthinking resident but an intelligent and capable doctor who can handle life-threatening situations.

Works Cited

“Witness April Kepner’s Near-Death Experience in Grey’s Anatomy #greysanatomy #shorts #greys #drama.” YouTube, uploaded by Grey’s Anatomy, 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJdE_FLErV8.

Bouman, Ariet. “First LoRaWAN® Elephant Collars Successfully Deployed in the Central Tuli Game Reserve.” Smart Parks, 23 Sept. 2021, www.smartparks.org/news/first-lorawan-elephant-collars-successfully-deployed-in-the-central-tuli-game-reserve/.

“April Kepner.” Grey’s Anatomy Universe Wiki, Fandom, greysanatomy.fandom.com/wiki/April_Kepner.

Kent, Whitney. “WWF Uses New Wireless Technology to Track Elephants.” World Wildlife Fund, 4 Jan. 2024, www.worldwildlife.org/stories/wwf-uses-new-wireless-technology-to-track-elephants.

“Why Does April Kepner Leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’?” Closer Weekly, www.closerweekly.com/posts/why-does-april-kepner-leave-156139/.