Casting and creation Drew was cast in late September 2009 and first appeared on the show in the fifth episode of the sixth season as one of the residents from the Mercy West Medical Center after its merger with Seattle Grace. Drew was brought aboard Grey's Anatomy after former collaborations with the Series' producer and creator Shonda Rhimes; she was formally featured as a guest in two episodes of Private Practice in 2008 and was one of the main cast in Rhimes television pilot Inside the Box (2009) which was eventually not picked up by ABC. Her casting came after the absence of some of the central cast members, notably Katherine Heigl departure after her maternity leave and Ellen Pompeo's absence due to pregnancy. Drew was originally contracted to guest star in a multi-episodes story arc where her character would be eventually fired from the series after two episodes. She explained: "I came on to the show and I was told from day one that I was only going to be there for two episodes. I did not expect anything beyond that. The morning my firing episode aired, my agent got a call that they were talking about a contract and I was just completely floored." However she was promoted to a series regular on June 9, 2010 for the seventh season of the show. Rhimes said in the wake of the news: "Kepner has really been folded into the group" of Grey's Anatomy adding "It'll depend on what the studio and the network decide to do with those actors, but I fully advocate to have [the characters]". Drew received the call for her promotion the morning after the sixth episode of season six was telecast on October 29, 2009. She described the call as a "totally happy surprise". Characterization Drew's character has been called intelligent, hardworking, thorough and determined by Grey's Anatomy executives. But she is also considered vulnerable, insecure, sensitive and overly eager by her colleagues. Of the character, Drew said: "April is a very, very good doctor. She really knows what she's doing, she's worked really hard, and she certainly wants to do her best and stick around." but also described her as "annoying", "neurotic" and "really insecure". In the eighth season, April's position as chief resident and her struggle to get a handle on her fellow residents formed the central arc of her storyline. Rhimes explained: