Talk:April Kepner

Attending Status
The show actually did address it on her first day back. The intern said she ordered a consult from general surgery and April said that she was the consult. She's a general surgery attending; her residency was in general surgery, she completed a general surgery residency, and she is now a general surgery attending. Ace(T•CON) 22:27, 24 October 2012 (UTC)


 * Accosting to an interview with Sarah Drew, the actress who pays April in the series On BuddyTV, it is stated that:

"My favorite April Kepner episode is season seven's "That's Me Trying" in which Owen Hunt (then head of the emergency department, now chief of surgery) trains the staff in crisis response and April, to everyone's surprise, emerges as a budding trauma surgeon. Season eight has focused mostly on April's role as chief resident with her surgical training largely in the background. When I asked if April had ever officially declared trauma as her area of specialty, Sarah assured me that April is definitely still in trauma, even though we haven't seen much of that played out on screen recently."--Meryam90 (talk) 22:53, 24 October 2012 (UTC)


 * I'm not disagreeing that Kepner declared trauma as a specialty; this was more than indicated on the show when Hunt had chosen her to be his protege in season 7. However, her residency was in general surgery, and that's what she completed; specialty training is referred to as fellowship, so Karev, Jackson, and Yang hold attending status in general surgery, but are surgical fellows in peds, plastics, and cardio respectively. Actual dialogue from the show confirm that she's a general surgery attending because the intern specifically said in 9x03, "I ordered a consult from general surgery", and April responded, "I'm your consult." Officially, she holds general surgery attending status. She may very well be Hunt's new trauma surgical fellow, but that has yet to be established on the show. What is confirmed is that she's an attending in general surgery. Furthermore, that interview was in April of 2012, commenting on season 8; it has no bearing on season 9. Ace(T•CON) 23:16, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
 * That line of dialogue is not specifically saying that she is a general surgery attending. Implying so is a real stretch. That said, it is OR to declare her a general surgery attending, until it is explicitly stated. Her occupation parameter should remain generic until it is directly implied. TRLIJC19  ( talk  •  contribs ) 01:54, 25 October 2012 (UTC)
 * While I may agree that it isn't explicitly stated that Kepner is a general surgery attending which falls under OR, to say that it's implication is a real stretch is hyperbole and, frankly, unfounded. A general surgery consult was ordered, and Kepner responded: who else would respond other than a general surgeon? The consult was for a hernia repair which is a general surgery procedure and performed by a general surgeon. Dr. Webber spoke to Dr. Bailey, both general surgeons, about the latter taking the surgery from Kepner, and Bailey assigned Dr. Grey, a general surgeon, to observe it. While it may be true there is no direct dialogue or text that specifically says that Kepner is a general surgery attending, indirect evidence by the show indicates otherwise. Ace(T•CON) 14:55, 25 October 2012 (UTC)
 * As per WP:OR, that line was no specifically said, and I agree with TRLIJC19, it does seem to be a stretch. Let's wait for further episodes until it is actually said exactly. It should, IMO, say in the meantime. TBrandley 02:25, 25 October 2012 (UTC)
 * I also agree with TRLIJC19 and TBrandley. The fact that she had a general surgery residency is not relevant: EVERY surgeon has a five year residency in general surgery, before a 2+ year fellowship in another specialty (sometimes this kind of fellowship is regarded as an extra-residency). It is true that after completing the five year residency in general surgery, a surgeon can become an attending physician ONLY in general surgery (if he doesn't pursue extra training for another specialty) but that doesn't mean April is an attending -- she can very well be a trauma fellow. We just have to wait and see. Jonathan Harold Koszeghi (talk) 13:19, 26 October 2012 (UTC)
 * This is not true, to say that "every" surgeon has a five year residency in general surgery is completely inaccurate. In the United States, there are 8 recognized surgical residency programs: general surgery, neurosurgery, OBGYN, opthalmology, orthopedic surgery, ENT/otolaryngology, plastic surgery, and urology after med school. Those are all residencies that surgeons can undergo: general surgery is not the only residency available for surgeons. Please refer to the American Board of Surgery and the American College of Surgeons. Also, from an in-universe perspective, Callie was not a general surgery resident, she was a orthopedic surgery resident during seasons 2 through early season 5; Mark was an ENT resident before taking a plastic surgical fellowship; Addison was an OBGYN resident either before or after her peds surgery fellowship. From an in-universe and real-world perspective, that statement is completely false.  I don't doubt the fact that April could be a trauma surgical fellow, but the show has not indicated this either directly or indirectly: she's not responded to any trauma cases, Hunt hasn't stated she is his fellow, and her cases thus far have all been general surgery cases. What the show has indicated is that April holds attending status in general surgery, as I've pointed out in my posts above. I haven't seen any other user refute such evidence. April does hold attending status, and she holds it in general surgery, as does Avery, Yang, and Karev; the only difference upon the latter examples is that their surgical fellow status in plastics, cardio, and peds (respectively) supercedes their general surgery attending status, and the show has directly/indirectly confirmed their surgical fellow status.  -Ace(T•CON) 22:37, 26 October 2012 (UTC)
 * I say we should wait for more episodes to air before changing her status. It might have been said in this week's episode but I haven't watched it yet. Personally, I find it strange if she's really an attending but yet failed her boards... Also, how could she be an attending in general surgery while her speciality was trauma? --Sofffie7 (talk) 18:00, 26 October 2012 (UTC)
 * She declared her trauma specialty during her general surgery residency, as do most residents in their latter years of residency. Actual training in that specialty is a fellowship, which she supposedly would've earned had she passed her boards. But, board certification is a voluntary process governed by an external body that has no relation to the hospital of her employment. It's like having a CPA: some firms require their accountants that prepare internal financials, and some firms don't. You're still an accountant. Same principle applies with board-certs. In the real-world, top-tier hospitals require their attendings to have board-certs in their completed residencies in order for them to be hired. However, while this is not the majority of the case, you can still be a non-board certified attending. You can still practice medicine without require supervision, and your license has no impact or bearing on your board-cert results for the residency that you completed. Hunt, as Chief of Surgery, has discretion to hire any surgeon who meets the legally required minimum standard to practice medicine and surgery, which April Kepner meets. She has a license to practice unsupervised medicine (completing her USMLE steps 1 and 2 during med schoool, and steps 3, also known as the intern exam), and has completed at least five years in a general surgery residency. Those criteria allowed Hunt to legally hire Kepner as an attending general surgeon. Board-certs do not disqualify you from having attending status - residency has been completed, and hence attending status is given by the hospital of employment to that area where residency was learned. And Hunt, as Chief, hired her with the title of attending, and indirect evidence by the show indicates as a general surgery attending.  -Ace(T•CON) 22:46, 26 October 2012 (UTC)
 * The paragraph you just wrote is WP:SYNTH; you're combining a mix of real-world data (which we don't even know is what the show follows), and brief content from the show to assert April's occupation. Five users have expressed that they would feel more comfortable waiting for a more substantial source, so please try to accept that. TRLIJC19  ( talk  •  contribs ) 14:41, 27 October 2012 (UTC)
 * It isn't WP:SYNTH because this real-world data was established in-universe. In Season 2, when Alex Karev failed his practical, then Chief Webber said he received examination results from USMLE, informing him that Alex failed his practical portion, which is the Steps 2 examination. Steps 3 is taken after the intern year, which is the intern exam, which allows doctors to practice medicine without requiring immediate supervision: hence why the original interns received a batch of their own interns in season 4. Additionally, the show employs medical consultants to ensure that they reflect real-world; if you refer to the season 2 behind the scenes, creator Shonda Rhimes, various cast members, and lead producers and writers consistently state this. So to say that "we don't know if the show follows real-world" is inaccurate, as the show both in-universe and behind-the-scenes have established clearly the opposite. Furthermore, five users have not refuted the evidence above provided by the show: while they agree they are more comfortabl waiting, they have not provided any other in-universe or credited sources to refute statements above. The above paragrah does not meet WP:SYNTH because their separate true facts do not equate to a combined implied conclusion unsupported by the show: the show makes this conclusion, thereby negating synthesis. 1) Kepner has completed five years of general surgery residency. (End of season 8, verbally confirmed by Torres "you finished residency") 2) Kepner has a license to practice medicine. (Her character's introduction as a 3rd year surgical resident in 6x05) 3) Kepner was hired back by Hunt to be an attending surgeon. (End of 9x01, and start of 9x03) 4) Kepner has only answered general surgery consults and cases. (9x03-9x04) 5) Kepner has been consulted by other general surgeons. (9x03) 6) Kepner was replaced by Dr. Bailey, another general surgeon, in 9x04 during the testicular case with both Dr. Averys and Dr. Webber. 7) Dr. Webber, a veteran general surgeon, specifically states to Dr. Bailey that he is taking Dr. Kepner "under his wing" in 9x04.  What IS synthesis is to say that Kepner is a trauma surgical fellow: Kepner declared trauma in season 7. Hunt hired her back. Those two true facts must mean she is a trauma surgical fellow, which the show has not supported thus far, indicating the conclusion is not backed by a reliable source. A+B=implied C. That is synthesis.  When a user can back up their claims by evidence from the show, Shonda Rhimes tweeter account, and/or any other reliable source that negates that Kepner is NOT a general surgery attending, other than the fact that five users simply agree, then I'll concede. Until then, just because five poeple, without evidence that refutes this claim, agree doesn't mean anything. When you five users can collaborate and bring evidence to the contrary, then I'll concede. Until then, I will continue to press my point forward. Ace(T•CON) 14:07, 28 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Actually, it is SYNTH, because even though the real-world data may be accurate, you are combining it with in-universe information to decide April's specialty. Five users have said they would feel more comfortable waiting for a definitive line of a dialogue, so please accept that. You cannot take it upon yourself to change the article, when the obvious consensus is to keep the parameter generic until firmer proof. You are pulling a bunch of OR crap together, and trying to impose it as fact. In addition, please check out this post by Shonda on her Twitter (yes, not "tweeter"): A fan asked "Did we fans miss something did April retake her boards and pass? How is Kepner a attending or fellow? What is her specilty?", and Shonda answered "You can apparently still work in the hospital if you are not board-certified." She failed to say what April's specialty is, so we as an encyclopedia have no right to assume. TRLIJC19  ( talk  •  contribs ) 18:38, 29 October 2012 (UTC)
 * The article remains unchanged as I continue to respond. It is not going through edit wars while the debate is in progress, so please don't make it seem as if changes are occuring beyond this talk page. As I said before, I am not deciding anything: the show itself makes that implication with the evidence presented above. 1) April Kepner has only responded to general surgery cases. 2) April Kepner was replaced by another general surgeon, at April Kepner's behest, at the end of 9x04. 3) April Kepner was observed by another general surgeon, Dr. Grey, during a general surgery procedure in 9x03. 4) When a general surgery consult was requested, April Kepner appeared and verbally responded, "That's me, I'm your consult" in 9x03. 5) She is being taken under a senior general surgeon's wing as established by dialogue in 9x04.  As I said, it does not meet synthesis as I do not make this supposed ill-form conclusion that has no backing by the show; the show implicates her current specialty in general surgery time and time again. And to say that it is "crap" is unnecessary and frankly highly antagonistic, as again, none of the other users, including you, have refuted the evidence presented, evidence given by a primary souce, i.e. the show. I think it would be beneficial if evidence was brought forth to the contrary that refutes such evidence presented. Stating that it is synthesis is untrue as the show asserts it. It would completely different if every case thus far was not a general surgery case that Kepner has worked on, or if acutal dialogue from the show didn't request a general surgery consult and Kepner was present, or if three general surgeons weren't working with her. Then I would agree that Kepner's occupation is synthesis; however, that is not the case. I've already presented what would be a case for synthesis if I had asserted that Kepner was a trauma surgical fellow as the show makes no backing to support that whatsoever. I'm attempting to see it from your point of view, but given that the show makes these implications, time and time again, it's hard for me to agree when you five offer nothing else to the contrary. Ace(T•CON) 19:58, 29 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Furthermore, there is no direct dialogue that states Kepner IS an attending according to the standards above by you five users. Even with the tweet above, Rhimes does not confirm that Kepner is an attending. However, that is accepted as fact because Kepner is wearing navy scrubs, scrubs only worn by attendings, and the dialogue from Bailey in 9x03 that states, "you all are attendings now," which is somewhat ambigous as Bailey was talking to the entire room; one can make the argument regarding what Bailey said as contradictory as Alex Karev specifically spoke to Avery about being a surgical fellow in 9x01. The show implicates their attending status because they are all have access to the attending lounge, they all wear attending scrubs, despite being surgical fellows (Avery and Karev), and other than Meredith, there is no direct dialogue asserting they are attendings. Additionally, if what I'm accused of is synthesis, then stating Meredith Grey is an attending general surgeon is ALSO synthesis by that logic primarily because the show as of yet hasn't stated that Meredith Grey is an attending general surgeon by direct dialogue. The show has established that she did declare general surgery at the end of season 8, and that she is an attending surgeon, by dialogue in 9x01, but no actual statement combines the two: attending general surgeon. By your logic above, to declare she's a general surgery attending is synthesis. However, it's accepted fact that Meredith is a general surgery attending, despite of no direct dialogue supporting this. Ace(T•CON) 20:16, 29 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Meredith declared general surgery, and was referred to as an attending, so obviously she's a general surgery attending. The difference between that and April, is that April never declared general surgery, so the evidence is not as obvious as Meredith's case. While you bring up some good points above, five users have expressed that they would feel comfortable waiting for a definitive secondary source or line of dialogue. It's nothing against your evidence, it's just that her title will eventually be declared clearly, and we are in no rush to complete the parameter. It's nice that you pop in once a year for a quick quarrel, but users such as Sofffie7, Jonathan Harold Koszeghi, TBrandley, and myself have worked very hard in your absence this past year to rack up 4 did you know hooks, 25 good articles, 2 A-Class articles, 2 featured lists, and 2 featured articles (one which was recently displayed as TFA on the main page), and we do not want to worry about possible factual errors in an article being prepped for GAN. Regards, TRLIJC19  ( talk  •  contribs ) 16:22, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
 * To play devil's advocate, without direct dialogue to support this, you can't state definitely that Meredith is a general surgery attending without taking into account the indirect evidence that the show supports; the same indirect evidence you and the other users disregarded for reasoning that Kepner isn't a general surgery attending. Just as it's "obvious" that Meredith is a general surgery attending, it's "obvious" that Kepner is one too, given there IS dialogue to support this, which you five users have rebuffed for some reason. When a general surgery consult was ordered, Kepner responded. Who else other than a general surgeon would respond to a general surgery consult? The fact that there is dialogue in the show specifically asking for a general surgery consult and that Kepner actually said, "that's me, I'm your consult" was considered a "stretch" according to two users is "obvious" that Kepner is a general surgery attending. Furthermore, in the show's 9 years, there has never been an "attending surgeon" that isn't attached to a specialty. All the attendings the show has ever had were always part of a department: general, neuro, plastics, peds, OB/neonatal, surgical oncology, cardio, etc. So disregarding that not only is there actual dialogue supporting Kepner as a general surgeon and all the other evidence presented by the show supporting this, (i.e. Kepner only performing general surgery cases thus far, Kepner involved with three other established general surgeons on cases, Kepner completing a general surgery residency, and a senior attending general surgeon taking her under his wing) but stating that Kepner is non-specialty attending surgeon goes against 9 years of trend that the show has established. It isn't a factual error: it's fact since the show has established that Kepner IS an attending general surgeon. FYI, stats on what you and the other users have done, while admirably, is irrelevant to this conversation. Your collective contributions doesn't negate the fact that the show HAS establihed that Kepner is a general surgery attending. Ace(T•CON) 02:51, 5 November 2012 (UTC)
 * I'll try to break this down simply, because your repetitive responses that ignore the obvious consensus are getting a bit irritating.
 * As for Meredith, please don't play dumb; she declared general surgery, and was named an attending. No user has disputed that, and while your opinion is noted, it is obviously unified. Meredith's very clear title is irrelevant to April.
 * I'm not playing dumb; if you five users are saying that it's "very clear" that Meredith is a general surgeon, please cite me direct dialogue supporting this. I'm not arguing that Meredith Grey isn't a general surgeon: she is one. I'm playing devil's advocate because you five users are stating that it's somehow "vauge" that April Kepner isn't one, because there is no direct dialogue stating that she is a general surgeon; five episodes later, there is no direct dialogue that states Meredith Grey is one either. There is dialogue, however, stating that Grey declared general surgery in season 8, and that she's an attending surgeon in season 9, but no direct dialogue confirms this. So if that's the criteria for one, it's the criteria for the other. So until you can cite dialogue that Meredith Grey is a "general surgeon", it isn't very clear. Especially for viewers who have not season any prior season; to them, they don't know that Meredith Grey is a general surgeon based on season 9 alone. Ace(T•CON) 17:18, 10 November 2012 (UTC)
 * The fact that she responded to a general surgery consult does not mean she is a general surgery attending. Her residency was in general surgery, so she obviously had the knowledge to respond to that case and work on other general surgery cases; it does not mean that is her job. It is not as though April ever declared general surgery, as you keep on ignorantly implying. Until it is explicitly stated, we will not make that assumption.
 * Please cite evidence from 9 seasons of history with the show where non-general surgery attendings responds to a general surgery consult? Beacuse I don't recall Burke, Shepherd, Montgomery, Torres, Robbins, Sloan, Fields, Hahn, Shadow-Shepherd, Swender, Stark, Hunt, or Marlowe ever responding to a general surgery consult. The show in all it's 9 seasons has shown these attendings answering general surgery consults: Bailey, Webber, Ellis Grey, Campbell, and Meredith Grey. And they are ALL general surgeons. So unless there was an episode that showed otherwise, the show was very clearly established that general surgeons answer general surgery consults. What other surgeon other than a general surgeon answers a general surgey consult? The past 9 seasons the show has answered that question time and time again. It's not an assumption, it's implied fact that Kepner is a general surgeon. The show very clearly makes that implication. Ace(T•CON) 17:18, 10 November 2012 (UTC)
 * No one is disputing that April has a specialty, so please don't try to make it sound like that. The infobox is being left generic, until there is clear (not by your standards, but by the standards of a consensual group of users) evidence of April's specialty. We know she's an attending, so that is what is being said.
 * In all 9 seasons, there has never been just an "attending surgeon" on staff. That is what I am saying; to leave it ambigious defies 9 seasons worth of data by the show. Please cite evidence of any character that has ever been just an "attending surgeon". All attending surgeons on GA are either attending general surgeons, or attending cardio surgeons, or attending peds surgeons, or attending neuro surgeons, or attending OBGYN surgeons, or attending neonatal surgeons, or attending ortho surgeons, or attending ENT surgeons, or attending opthlamology surgeons, or attending urolgy surgeons, or attending trauma surgeons, or attending perinatal surgeons, or attending plastic surgeons. If evidence can be cited that shows otherwise, then Kepner as an "attending surgeon" isn't inaccurate. Ace(T•CON) 17:18, 10 November 2012 (UTC)
 * First of all, the show has been on for 7 years, not 9. We are not certain of April's specialty, so asserting it is a "possible factual error" – which is what I said. Please do not misquote me.
 * Got me there! I mean seasons, not years. My apologies. It isn't an error because the SHOW shows evidence time and time again that Kepner is an attending general surgeon until otherwise stated. Even with 9x05, Hunt clearly says that Kepner had to perform a cholecystectomy, is further evidence that Kepner is an attending general surgeon. Who performs that general surgery procedure? General surgeons. The show has established this. Webber has performed that surgery. Ellis Grey has performed that surgery. The "Grey Method" is based off that surgery. Campbell performed, although botched, that surgery. And all those characters are general surgeons. Ace(T•CON) 17:18, 10 November 2012 (UTC)
 * The reason I noted the contributions by the WikiProject this year, was to explain that we don't want a possible factual error in an article being prepped for GAN.
 * I said it above, and I'll say it again. Your evidence has been unanimously disputed, and while you may think those vague lines of dialogue are sufficient to assert April's specialty, the five users in this discussion obviously do not. I would ask that you try to accept the obvious consensus, and stop responding with repetitive replies that are leaving no one convinced. The show will eventually provide firm evidence of April's specialty (for all we know, it could happen Thursday), and that is what everyone commenting here is looking for. Please try to be patient, and unless you have new arguments, I must ask that you stop barraging everyone with the same, long, unconvincing responses. TRLIJC19  ( talk  •  contribs ) 03:18, 5 November 2012 (UTC)
 * You and five users may consider it unconvincing because you five users simply ignore what the show is very clearly presenting. I assert the fact that there is no direct dialgoue stating Kepner's current profession as an attending general surgeon; direct dialgoue isn't necessary when the show has presented very clearly facts, situations, and dialgoue that say otherwise. I'm amazed that you consider a general surgery consult request and April asserting that request as vague when you five have yet to answer what other surgeon would answer such a consult? The show has shown clear evidence who answers such consults, and what kind of surgeon answers such consults. The show has also shown no other attending surgeon answering a general surgery consult but general surgery attendings. You five can agree all you want, you five can agree that the sky is green and the world is flat: it doesn't make it so. I have evidence from the show, and I have cited such evidence repeatedly. All you five have done was agree to ignore such evidence. And I clearly stated that if any of you five can bring me contrary evidence other than the simple fact that there isn't direct dialogue to support this, which I've stated that there is no direct dialogue for Meredith, then I'll concede the point. Yet, this hasn't happened yet. One can't say Meredith Grey is clearly an attending general surgeon as proof that Kepner isn't when there's no dialgoue to support this. One can't say, Meredith Grey declared general surgery in season 8, so she must be an attending general surgeon in season 9, and then negate all the supporting evidence in season 9 that Kepner isn't a general surgeon. The show itself makes these assertions, which is fact. So there can't be any possible factual errors when the show makes it so. Ace(T•CON) 17:18, 10 November 2012 (UTC)

Kepner's status is finally clear: ABC/Grey's Anatomy has created Twitter accounts for all of their characters as you can see here https://twitter.com/GreysABC/follow-the-characters and on Kepner's account it is written that she is an Attending trauma surgeon. Sarah Drew has also 'promoted' the account via her own account. I know Twitter is usually not a reliable source but in this case it gives the answer :) --Sofffie7 (talk) 21:57, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Imagine that, Ace was right all along while five others embarrassed themselves. At the time of the above discussion, Kepner was indisputably a general surgery attending. Just like Cristina was a general surgery attending doing a fellowship in cardio. That said, she was tremendously annoying and it's wonderful that she's gone. On rewatch I often find myself having to skip through scenes involving her because she's just that awful of a character. Hbk314 (talk) 18:26, 10 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Yuuuuuuuup. Cause at the end of season 9 during the storm episode finale, the staff shortage meant that Alex (a peds surg fellow) and Arizona (the peds surg chief) had to act as general surgeons, and Callie even referred to Arizona as "an amazing general surgeon". Not to mention that even in its current season [18], the show also acknowledged that even when you're a trauma surgery attending, you're still a general surgery attending also, e.g. when Winston called Owen (the trauma surg chief) a general surgeon, and Owen acknowledged that he was [as well] for a transplant surgery [on the PRT]. And of course, the most damning piece of evidence of all: when April Kepner, trauma surgery attending, was named interim chief of GENERAL SURGERY in season 13. Being right is never appreciated in its time. But I knew. "Told ya so". Ace(T•CON) 12:33, 17 December 2021 (UTC)

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