A proposal to address the curriculum for the M-4 medical student.

The unstructured and elective nature of the fourth-year medical student (M4) medical school curriculum has been recognized by medical educators as an area of concern. Few accepted guidelines exist for the M4 curriculum, and students exercise significant discretion over their experience. The Family Medicine Curriculum Resource Project post-clerkship resource was developed by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine under contract from the Health Resources and Service Agency to support medical educators in the development of curricula and assessment of student needs for the M4 year of medical school. The post-clerkship resource defines competencies for graduation and contains educational resources as well as recommendations for faculty development and student evaluation in the M4 year.