A description is provided of a 15-month, in-service nursing education program at Childrens Hospital (Los Angeles, California). The first sections of the paper describe Childrens Hospital and provide a rationale for the hospital-based program. A listing of program goals and objectives is also provided, indicating that the curriculum is designed to enable the new hospital employee to acquire theoretical knowledge drawn from both nursing and allied sciences, practical skills, and assessment abilities. After outlining the specific objectives of the course in terms of learning outcomes and performance improvement, the paper identifies the groups for whom the course is intended. The bulk of the document consists of a description of the following units: (1) Professional and Interpersonal Enhancement Training; (2) Neonatal Nursing; (3) Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing; (4) the Procedure Unit; (5) From Infancy to Adulthood; (6) Oncology Nursing; (7) Infectious Diseases; (8) the Operating Room/Recovery Room; (9) the Emergency Room; (10) Ambulatory Nursing; and (11) Dialysis Nursing. The procedure for implementation is described, followed by an evaluation scheme which serves to clarify program objectives. Finally, procedures for curriculum revision and a short bibliography are presented. (LAL)