In 1979, Delta College, in Michigan, established a bioethics requirement for all nursing students. This paper describes a project to teach one of the required ethics course to local hospitals to observe students while they work and discuss ethical dilemmas as they arose. Introductory sections discuss project rationale and procedures, indicating that the instructor accompanied students on their rounds, learned patients' case histories, discussed ethical issues as they arose, and held discussion sessions at the end of each day. The next section provides two case studies of student observations at the pediatric unit of a local hospital, detailing the ethical issues raised. The first describes an adolescent with cerebral palsy at the developmental level of 4 months which raised issues concerning the decision-making prerogative of nurses and whether a patient's quality of life should be a criterion for treatment. The second addressed the question of whether a 1-month old infant decreasing in weight and head circumference was a victim of child abuse or neglect. Next, three case studies of psychiatric patients at another hospital highlight the issue of medical staff or societal intervention, describing student interactions with a suicidal, depressed woman; a violent adolescent; and a young man with a history of substance abuse who continues to receive a substantial student grant. The final sections discuss the general success of the project in terms of student interaction and instructor enrichment. (ECC)