BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The study's objective was to determine medical students' knowledge of and attitudes toward family medicine before and after completing a course in primary care. METHODS: Before and after a course in primary care, 81 medical students were asked to respond to a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire, comprising 34 items that measured students' attitudes and knowledge about primary care that uses a 5-point Likert response scale. RESULTS: Forty-four (54.3%) students completed both the pre-course and post-course questionnaires. Before the course, 38.6% looked favorably upon the specialty of family medicine. After the course, the percentage increased to 70.4%. Nevertheless, only 11.4% initially considered family medicine as a first career option, and their attitude did not change after the course. CONCLUSIONS: After completing the course, the students showed an improvement in their knowledge of and attitudes toward family medicine and primary care, but only a small percentage considered a career in family medicine as a first-choice option.