Breast cancer advocacy internships: student motivations, intentions, and perceptions

Currently, there are no published studies about the impact on students of a structured, breast-cancer-specific advocacy internship. Our goal was to provide the student perspective of participation in a national breast cancer advocacy conference in Washington, D.C. as part of an internship. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in three waves: 1 month before the training, during the training, and 1 month post-training. Four themes emerged: (1) empowerment, (2) connection with breast cancer patients and advocates, (3) learning outside the classroom, and (4) action through advocacy and civilian lobbying. This study found strong support for the internship model described here and is recommended for replication at other universities and institutions.