Except for women carrying genetic susceptibility to breast cancer, bilateral mastectomy is not considered the standard of care. Yet women are being offered or choosing this procedure. Nurses can be advocates for women by speaking positively about how women have the right to choose their treatment based on best evidence and personal choice. This evidence should include benefits and risks of the treatment.

Two themes were identified that addressed education and survivorship.

T o explore a woman's decision making in the choice of bilateral mastectomy as a treatment for unilateral breast cancer, regardless of stage, as opposed to the standard of care (lumpectomy or mastectomy). DesignQualitative descriptive. SettingVarious settings throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. SampleTwenty-three women. MethodsWe used a semistructured interview guide to elicit data that were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Descriptive data were analyzed for means and frequencies.