This article will look at the theory of a Learning Organization
as described by Senge and the Israeli Breast Care Nurses as an
example. A description of the theory of a Learning Organization,
the role of the Breast Care Nurses in Israel and the relation
between the two will be described. Since 1996, the role of the
Breast Care Nurse was founded in Israel. At that time, the role
with its importance was very hard to be recognized by the health
care team and other professionals of the multidisciplinary team
for breast cancer patients. Since the role was initiated, it had
been developing all over Israel through the support given by the
Israel Cancer Association. As a learning organization, the Breast
Care Nurses have a few goals: To learn to give patients the most
updated and relevant information; to be a part and be seen as
equal as the other members of the multidisciplinary team for
breast cancer patients; to have knowledge which empowers them
as a working group; to enable to teach students, mainly nursing
students, in basic and further education and to help continually
teach a new generation of nurses. This learning organization
involves some formal and informal education. Although
oncology nurses do much of the ideas we have described, we
suggest using a strict model to help in implementing a Learning
Organization. Future research can examine the outcomes of a
Learning Organization on oncology nursing.
Key words: Breast neoplasms, education, nursing