[Knowledge and beliefs of 4th-year medical students concerning professional practices in general medicine. Results of a survey conducted at the School of Medicine of Brest].

As part of preparations for the first seminar in general practice, organized for medical students in their forth year at the Brest faculty of medicine, students were asked to fill in a questionnaire concerning their beliefs and knowledge concerning general-practice medicine. Fifty-two students, or 89.6% of the class, completed the questionnaires. The results showed that despite the lack of formal contacts with this type of practice during their studies, the students had a good idea of what general-practice medicine is and of the role of the general practitioner in our health-care system. However, this study has illustrated the difficulties students experience in defining their future professional direction, since they receive no information during their training on the different options in medical practice.