Discussions with student nurses when they have been on placement on the breast cancer surgery ward highlighted their lack of knowledge about breast cancer surgery. This lack of knowledge by student nurses necessitated the development of a computer-based learning tool. A distance-learning tool was found to be an effective way of providing education, due to lack of facilities and workload on the ward. The student nurses using this tool will have better understanding of the treatments their patients are undergoing, leading to improved patient care.