Addressing Medical Mistrust Utilizing a Community Cancer Screening Event: Undergraduate Nursing Students' Response to an Educational Intervention

BACKGROUND: Cancer screening and mortality disparities persist among racial and ethnic groups in the United States, driven by several barriers including medical mistrust. Despite growing attention, few nursing interventions address medical mistrust directly. METHOD: To address this gap, community members and a midwestern College of Nursing co-developed a cancer screening initiative, One Stop Cancer Shop. Undergraduate nursing students participated in both a workshop based on public narrative storytelling and community screening events. Following participation, students were asked to reflect on the experience. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. RESULTS: Analysis revealed three central themes: (1) skills to address medical mistrust; (2) communication; and (3) community as client. Students reported increased awareness of structural inequities, empathy, cultural competence, and the value of engaging with underserved communities. CONCLUSION: This intervention highlights the potential of narrative-based education to equip nursing students to address medical mistrust. The findings support integrating experiential learning into nursing curricula.