The AAFP recommends all medical schools incorporate exposure to family medicine as an integral part of the required curriculum during the preclinical and clinical years. The AAFP is committed to making every effort to:
This can be achieved through early exposure to family medicine, high-quality and innovative teaching methods, longitudinal clinical experiences spanning all years, family medicine presence within the faculty and senior leadership at medical schools, family physician-role models and mentors, and institutional recognition of the value of family medicine departments for their contributions to medical education.
The AAFP specifically recommends that all medical schools provide the following evidence-based components of a mandatory family medicine clerkship:
(COE) (1973) (2018 COD)