Empirical ethics occupies an increasingly major place in the field of health care ethics. Rather than applying ethical theories to concrete ethical conflicts, the attempt is made to elaborate the values and norms already present in clinical practice. In this research project, the empirical turn in ethics is applied to the theme of nurse’s involvement in euthanasia. Because of their patient-centred orientation and expertise, nurses are frequently confronted with a euthanasia request. Since September 2002 euthanasia is legally regulated in Belgium and nurses can anticipate being confronted more often with one or more aspects of the euthanasia process (notifying request, decision-making process, life-terminating action, aftercare). Our research project aims to clear up the involvement of nurses in the care process for patients who request euthanasia. A combined empirical-ethical & philosophical-ethical methodology will be used. The empirical-ethical study aims to focus on the actual involvement of Flemish nurses in the euthanasia process. Founding on in-depth interviews and focus groups with nurses, the study will implement inductive thematic analysis to get a balanced picture of the way in which and extent to what nurses are actually involved in euthanasia. Based on this qualitative study’s results and a literature survey on this subject, a valid instrument will be developed to chart in detail nurse’s involvement. The philosophical-ethical study will review the various opinions in nursing ethics’ literature on the relation between nursing, care and euthanasia. The content and functioning of ethical guidelines about care for people who request euthanasia will be examined. The results of both studies will found the development of ethical guidelines that serve to positively orient the involvement of Flemish nurses in euthanasia. This positive trend will continue in the ethically responsible development of palliative care practice. Preliminary results will be presented.