To date, affirmative action programmes have not been used in specialist medical or surgical training schemes to select ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples. This thematic analysis of 45 published studies found that affirmative action programmes are most successful when associated with a comprehensive programme of candidate preparation, support and mentorship beginning prior to application, and support and mentorship throughout training and into the post-training period. The overall aim must be graduation of significant numbers of minority and indigenous trainees into practice, including appointment to faculty member and leadership positions.
