Underrepresented in medicine (URiM) residents: A scoping review on prevalence trends & improving recruitment

Disparities exist in underrepresented in medicine (URiM) resident representation. This review examines recent trends in resident diversity, URiM recruitment strategies, and identifies research gaps in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for URiM residents. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and ERIC databases were searched for studies published from 2017 to 2022 on URiM resident prevalence and recruitment initiatives. 3634 abstracts were reviewed, and 52 articles were included. 35 (67 ​%) studies reported on prevalence of URiM residents, demonstrating URiM resident composition is lower than residency applicant demographics, particularly in surgery. Seventeen (33 ​%) studies reported on URiM recruitment interventions, such as visiting clerkship programs, holistic review, and targeted outreach, and demonstrated success in increasing recruitment of URiM candidates to programs. URiM residents remain disproportionately underrepresented, and markedly so among surgical residency programs. Further research should focus on implementing EDI interventions in surgery and assess URiM resident attrition post-matriculation. •Underrepresented in medicine resident composition remains disproportionately low.•There is marked underrepresentation of visible minorities among surgical programs.•Several successful initiatives to increase resident diversity have been described.•Strategies include visiting electives, holistic review and targeted outreach.•More research is needed to implement diversity initiatives in surgery.